UAE says flydubai co-pilot used crash axe in attempted terror attack
The UAE’s attorney general says the co-pilot of a Dubai–Tel Aviv flight attacked the captain with a crash axe and tried to seize control of the aircraft before being overpowered. Officials are treating the incident as an attempted terrorist act.
What happened
The United Arab Emirates’ attorney general says the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 tried to carry out a terrorist attack while the plane was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. He is accused of attacking the captain on the flight deck with the cockpit’s crash axe and then attempting to take control of the Boeing 737. A specialist team has been appointed to examine physical and digital evidence.
During the struggle on the flight deck, the aircraft went into a sharp descent. The Guardian reports that the plane dropped 16,625ft in just over 30 seconds and that part of the rudder was torn off. The flight was diverted over Jordanian airspace and landed in Tabuk, in north-western Saudi Arabia. Passengers, crew and a reserve pilot helped overpower and restrain the co-pilot, and the aircraft landed safely.
The Guardian reports that Oman, the co-pilot’s home country, had previously barred him from flying because of his extremist views. NBC News says the captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, was seriously injured and is being treated in hospital in Abu Dhabi. NBC News also reports that Israeli investigators are joining the UAE-led inquiry and that a US official briefed on the case said there was no sign of Iranian involvement.
Why it matters
Officials say the case involves a deliberate attempt by a serving flight crew member to bring down a passenger aircraft, something that is rare. The reported earlier ban on the co-pilot flying in Oman, if confirmed, is likely to prompt scrutiny of how pilots are vetted and how warnings about them are shared between airlines and states. The fact that the flight was bound for Israel adds regional political sensitivity and means the findings of the joint investigation will be closely watched by governments and the aviation industry.
The context
- UAE Attorney General Hamad Al Shamsi said the co-pilot attacked the captain on the flight deck with a crash axe and tried to take control of the aircraft. A specialist team is examining the physical and digital evidence.
- The Boeing 737 was diverted over Jordanian airspace and landed in Tabuk, in north-western Saudi Arabia. Passengers and a reserve pilot helped overpower the co-pilot.
- The captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, was seriously injured and is being treated in hospital in Abu Dhabi.
- NBC News named the co-pilot as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani citizen. Israeli investigators are joining the UAE-led inquiry. A US official briefed on the case said there was no sign of Iranian involvement.