The Flydubai co-pilot tried to carry out a terrorist attack during a Tel Aviv-bound flight that nearly crashed, the United Arab Emirates has said.
The co-pilot, who has been identified as Omani national Hamam al Hammami, attacked the pilot with an axe inside the cockpit and tried to take control of the aircraft, according to the UAE prosecutor general.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances of the incident, the motives and any related connections, as well as to examine physical and digital evidence, he added.
The co-pilot – who has a Syrian mother and was born in the UAE – had been banned from flying by Oman over fears he had adopted extremist views before he was hired by the UAE-based airline, sources told the Associated Press (AP).
The Indian pilot, Smit Machchhar, has been hailed a hero after fighting to open the cockpit door after he was stabbed by his colleague in mid-air.
Passengers and crew subdued the alleged attacker as the plane, with 182 people on board, dropped from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet (10,000 metres to 5,100 metres) in about a minute.
The aircraft, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
(Sky News)
