The co-pilot of a flydubai passenger flight attacked the captain with a crash axe and tried to seize control of the aircraft in what UAE prosecutors have described as an attempted “terrorist” attack, state media reported on Saturday.
UAE Prosecutor General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the co-pilot of flight FZ1073 assaulted the captain inside the cockpit and attempted to take control of the aircraft, according to the Emirates News Agency, WAM.
The co-pilot was identified by a source with direct knowledge of the case as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national. UAE authorities have not publicly confirmed his identity.
A crash axe, normally stored in the cockpit for use during emergencies, was allegedly used in the attack.
Prosecutors said investigations were continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident, the suspect’s motives and whether he had any links to other individuals or groups. Investigators are also examining physical and digital evidence.
The statement marked the first time Emirati authorities had formally described Wednesday’s incident as an attempted terrorist attack.
More than 170 passengers and crew were aboard the flight when the captain was attacked. Passengers and crew members eventually subdued the co-pilot, averting what Israeli officials said appeared to be an attempt to crash the aircraft.
A reserve flydubai pilot who was travelling on the flight then took control of the plane and landed safely at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The co-pilot was subsequently detained by Saudi authorities.
Flydubai said the incident remained under investigation and that it was not in a position to provide further details.
An Israeli government official previously told Reuters that Israeli investigators would participate alongside Emirati authorities in the UAE-led inquiry, which will examine the suspect’s background, motives and the events inside the cockpit.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that investigators were examining whether the co-pilot had acted under the direction of others.
Netanyahu had said a day earlier that the suspect, whom he also identified as an Omani national, appeared to have undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and may have been suicidal, although he acknowledged that investigators had not yet established a motive.
Most of the passengers on board were Israeli nationals.
Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed that the aircraft dropped about 16,625 feet in slightly more than 30 seconds while flying over Saudi Arabia on its route from the UAE to Israel.
The route is commonly used by Israeli travellers.
