United Arab Emirates (UAE): "Flydubai co-pilot in terror plot attacked captain with an ax"

[Financial News]  

It was confirmed on the 3rd (local time) that an Omani co-pilot who attempted to crash a passenger plane traveling from Dubai, UAE, to Tel Aviv, Israel, attacked the captain with an emergency escape ax.
According to foreign media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), an investigation by UAE authorities found that the co-pilot attacked the captain with an ax kept in the cockpit and tried to take control of the cockpit while Flydubai Flight 1073 was flying over Saudi Arabia.
The Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, suffered serious injuries and collapsed on the floor. Even as he was losing consciousness, he unlocked the cockpit door, allowing three Israeli passengers and crew members to enter, subdue the co-pilot and prevent the plane from crashing.
The suspect's identity has also been confirmed.
The co-pilot suspected of plotting the terrorist attack was identified as 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, who was reportedly influenced by religious extremism while staying in Syria.
He had previously displayed radical and violent Islamist tendencies and had been banned from flying by Omani authorities. He had worked in an administrative position at Oman Air before moving to flydubai, a UAE-based airline.
It remains unclear whether Omani authorities shared this information, fueling controversy over a failure in security vetting. The controversy stems from the fact that a person who had been banned from flying in Oman was assigned as the co-pilot on one of the most security-sensitive routes, the Israel route.
The suspect was transferred to Abu Dhabi, UAE, on the 1st and is under investigation, with an Israeli investigative team also taking part.
Al-Hammami has reportedly been cooperative with the investigation and told investigators that he intended to deliberately crash the passenger plane in Israel.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 1st that the suspect may have been linked to Iran, adding, "It is currently under investigation."

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