UAE says flydubai copilot used cockpit emergency ax to attack captain in ‘terrorist act’

DUBAI  –  The copilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 attempted to carry out a “terrorist attack” with an ax during Wednesday morning’s Israel-bound flight, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said on Saturday as the country continued its investigation into the incident.

The attacker was identified as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national who had previously been banned from flying by Oman over concerns that he had been radicalized, officials told the Associated Press. UAE authorities did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of his identity.

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“Investigations into the incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 found that the copilot had attempted to carry out a terrorist attack,” Prosecutor General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said in a statement carried by the UAE’s state news agency.

The prosecutor general’s comments were the first by Emirati investigators to describe the incident as an attempted terrorist attack.

Hammami attacked Machchhar inside the cockpit with a crash ax and attempted to take control of the aircraft, the prosecutor general said. A crash ax is typically kept in cockpits for use during emergencies, in case the pilots must cut through electronics to put out a fire or break the windshield to escape the aircraft.

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The Boeing 737 flight was carrying 174 passengers, almost all of them Israelis, when the copilot stabbed the pilot in an apparent attempt to crash the plane, which plunged nearly 14,000 feet (4,267 meters) in less than 30 seconds.

Captain Smit Machchhar, covered in blood, managed to open the cockpit door, allowing Israeli passengers to charge inside to overpower the copilot and tie him up and stabilize the plane, while other pilots who happened to be onboard brought the plane to an emergency landing in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

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On Saturday Dubai’s crown prince, who is also the UAE’s defense minister, visited Machchhar in the UAE hospital where he is currently recovering. Machchhar “embodied the highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life,” Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum said in a statement. “From us, and from the leadership of the nation, he has our full appreciation and praise.

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