New Details Emerge After Flydubai Pilot Attacks Captain Midair
A pilot on a Flydubai flight bound for Israel allegedly attacked his captain with a crash ax and tried to take control of the aircraft, according to United Arab Emirates officials, as new details emerge about the suspect’s alleged extremist views and previous employment issues. The incident occurred Wednesday aboard a Boeing 737 Max 8 […]
On a Flydubai flight en route to Israel from Dubai, a pilot allegedly attacked his captain with a crash ax, attempting to seize control of the aircraft, according to United Arab Emirates officials. The incident unfolded on Wednesday aboard a Boeing 737 Max 8 carrying 174 passengers, mostly Israeli, from Dubai to Tel Aviv. New details about the suspect, identified as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national born in the UAE, reveal a history of extremist views and employment issues.
According to UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al Shamsi, an investigation found that the co-pilot executed a pre-planned midair attack using a standard emergency crash ax. Al-Hammami's employment with Flydubai was brief, lasting only eight months, after a prior stint at Oman Air, where he faced allegations of radicalization. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the attacker had undergone Islamist radicalization, potentially influenced by a terrorist network.
Social media posts linked to al-Hammami contained misogynistic views and references to notorious terrorists. The Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, who survived the attack and injured the co-pilot, has been hailed as an "Indian braveheart." The UAE is leading the international investigation into the incident, examining the suspect's motives and possible accomplices.
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