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An Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain of a Flydubai flight to Israel with a cockpit crash axe and attempted to seize control before passengers and crew subdued him. The attacker, identified as Hamam al-Hammami, had reportedly been barred from flying with Oman Air because of concerns about extremist views. UAE investigators described the incident as a terrorist attack and are examining how the co-pilot was hired and passed through security controls.
| The co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of an Israel-bound flight with an axe and trying to seize the controls was an Oman i national who had been barred from flying on his country’s airline because of concerns about extremist views, officials said.
The co-pilot has been identified as Hamam al-Hammami, according to three people with knowledge of the situation, including a Gulf and a Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media. The United Arab Emirates, which is leading the investigation, said the co-pilot attacked with the cockpit’s crash axe and tried to take control of the plummeting plane in a “terrorist attack” on Wednesday.
His actions almost crashed the flight with 182 people on board before passengers and others rushed in and subdued him. The new details raised questions about how thoroughly Flydubai vets potential employees, and how the co-pilot’s presence on a flight filled with Israeli passengers got past Israel’s strict security protocols.
Flydubai Hamam Al-Hammami Cockpit Attack Terrorist Attack Oman
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