New allegations have surfaced regarding an incident in which an Omani co-pilot allegedly attempted to hijack and crash a flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv flight. A passenger onboard reportedly claimed he suspected flight attendants of assisting the attacker.
Maldivian news portal Adhadhu reported that the two were taken into custody on October 3 and that their families were informed through the Maldivian Embassy in the UAE. Earlier reporting noted: Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 passengers and crew members when al-Hammami allegedly attacked Machchhar with an axe in an attempt to seize control of the aircraft. Authorities have not disclosed the allegations against them or confirmed the nature of their suspected links to the incident.
A passenger on the flydubai flight has alleged that a flight attendant tried to loosen the restraints of the co-pilot accused of attacking the captain, even after passengers had overpowered him, according to The Jerusalem Post . Earlier reporting noted: According to Rajuan’s account to the Israeli newspaper, crew members repeatedly confronted passengers who tried to record the incident. During the alleged incident, Indian Captain Smit Machchhar was injured while foiling the suspected plot. He also claimed that another attendant approached the injured captain with a pill. In the conversation with the media outlet, the passenger reportedly spoke about the crew’s behaviour while the incident occurred. One attendant allegedly asked him whether he was a police officer. He also described attempts to grab and pull at clothing, adding to his suspicion that the crew’s actions were unusual. Despite his injuries, the Indian captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to intervene. The aircraft was subsequently diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing.
Earlier reporting noted: The claims come amid reports that two Maldivian pilots employed by flydubai have been arrested by UAE police in connection with the investigation.
What happened on the flydubai flight?
The UAE has described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack and identified the accused co-pilot as 29-year-old Hammam al-Hammami, according to news agency PTI . It was carrying 174 passengers and crew members. The flight made an emergency landing at Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk airport.
