Crime · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
UAE Prosecutor General Says Omani Co-Pilot Hamam Al-Hammami Attacked FlyDubai Captain With Emergency Axe
Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami attacked Flydubai captain with an emergency axe mid-flight. UAE prosecutor general labels act a terrorist attack targeting an Israel-bound flight.
Whether the attacker’s extremist links are reported as established.
11 of 12 outlets skipped it: trump warned Iran would be struck if linked to the plot.
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The New York Times
“It is still unclear whether he acted alone or with the backing of any of Israel’s regional foes.”Read the original ↗
Both flag uncertainty, but the framing focus differs between backing and background knowledge.
UAE names the attacker
The United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said the FlyDubai co-pilot, identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, initiated the execution of a terrorist attack by attacking the captain with an emergency axe and trying to seize control of the aircraft’s controls. Officials identified the suspected attacker as 29-year-old Hamam Al Hammami and said the co-pilot trainee for Oman Air in 2024 was found to be in possession of extremist materials. The UAE attorney general said investigators are still working to establish all the circumstances and motives surrounding the incident, as well as any related links, and to complete technical examinations and the analysis of physical and digital evidence.
The UAE prosecutor general also said the co-pilot began to execute his plan during the flight when he assaulted the aircraft’s commander inside the cockpit using an emergency axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft’s controls. The incident led to an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, where passengers and others subdued and restrained the attacker after the captain fought back.
Oman barred him
The AP said the co-pilot accused of attacking the captain with an axe and trying to seize the controls was an Omani national who’d been barred from flying on his country’s airline because of concerns about extremist views. Oman Air previously suspended the co-pilot from flying after he was identified as a security risk, and the co-pilot was allowed to continue working for the airline in an administrative role. The co-pilot had been barred from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted extremist views, and the co-pilot was then hired by the United Arab Emirates-based airline flydubai.
The investigation continued as UAE authorities worked to determine the circumstances, motives, and related connections, and as officials tried to understand how the suspected attacker was permitted to fly for FlyDubai. The AP said the new details raised questions about how thoroughly FlyDubai vets potential employees, and it said the co-pilot’s presence on a flight filled with Israeli passengers got past Israel’s strict security protocols.
Security questions and fallout
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the suspected attacker had undergone “Islamist radicalization,” and he said, “We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.” ABC News said the flight captain, Smit Machchhar, fought back and that passengers subdued and restrained the attacker, and it said the flight eventually landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The AP said the new details raised questions about how thoroughly FlyDubai vets potential employees, and it said the co-pilot’s presence on a flight filled with Israeli passengers got past Israel’s strict security protocols.
“We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”
The Guardian reported that security agencies from four regional countries were working to establish the co-pilot’s motives, aided by the US and other western governments, and it said the incident was a test for the UAE government. TThe UAE attorney general described the co-pilot’s actions as “sought to carry out a terrorist attack,” and the attack aggravated the already-strapped regional air sector crisis.