UAE Attorney General.. Flydubai Co-pilot Planned 'Terrorist Operation' Using 'Emergency Axe'

The UAE Attorney General announced Saturday that investigations into the Flydubai co-pilot revealed he planned a "terrorist operation" using an emergency axe to attack the pilot during the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).

The official agency quoted Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi as saying, "Investigations into the Flydubai flight FZ1073 revealed that the co-pilot attempted to carry out a terrorist operation." He added that "he began implementing his plan during the flight, attacking the pilot in the cockpit with an emergency axe and attempting to seize control of the aircraft's controls."

He further stated that "investigations are still ongoing to uncover all the circumstances, motives, and any related connections."

The UAE did not disclose on Saturday the nationality of the co-pilot whom Saudi authorities announced on Thursday had been transferred to the UAE along with the Indian captain.

However, several international media outlets reported on Saturday that he was Omani, identified as Hammam al-Hamami, born to an Omani father and a Syrian mother.

Al Arabiya, CNN, ABC, and The Wall Street Journal reported that Omani authorities had barred the co-pilot from flying for security reasons, believing he had been influenced by extremist Islamic groups during a trip to Syria.

The attack occurred on Wednesday aboard a Flydubai flight carrying 172 passengers, including 166 Israelis, in addition to the crew, on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The co-pilot stabbed the Indian captain, who, despite his injuries, managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to subdue the attacker.

The plane made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

Israel condemned the attack as a "jihadist terrorist attack," with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating that the co-pilot "had undergone radical Islamic indoctrination... and intended to crash the plane."

Anwar Gargash, advisor to the UAE president, described the attack on Friday as a "serious terrorist act."