Flydubai co-pilot attacked pilot with axe, says UAE

The United Arab Emirates prosecutor general disclosed that a flydubai co-pilot attempted to carry out a terrorist attack on flight FZ1073 by assaulting the pilot with an axe and trying to seize control of the aircraft. Investigations are underway to uncover the circumstances, motivations, and potential connections to radical groups, as well as to analyze physical and digital evidence related to the incident.

The co-pilot, identified as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, had previously been barred from flying in Oman due to his extremist beliefs. The plane, en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv, narrowly avoided catastrophe when the Indian captain managed to open the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to overpower the assailant and force an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged that the suspect had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination and intended to crash the plane. Reports suggest that Omani authorities had previously banned the pilot from flying due to his adoption of radical ideological views, citing concerns over extremist views and a stint in Syria.