UAE Investigation Reveals Flydubai Co-Pilot Attempted Terrorist Act by Seizing Aircraft

The UAE’s official investigation into the attack on the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073 has been described as an attempted “terrorist act” by UAE Attorney General Counsellor Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi .

The investigation uncovered that the co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani citizen, attacked the captain in the cockpit aboard the flight, which was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv using a crash axe. The attack “was made to take control of the aircraft”, officials said.

This incident reportedly prompted the aircraft to get into a “blitz down” before the crew and passengers subdued and brought the fight to a close. The aircraft was then safely brought down in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and local authorities got to the bottom of the matter.

The presidential adviser Anwar Gargash has characterized the incident as “a dangerous terrorist act“, underscoring the severity Abu Dhabi takes in dealing with the cocktail incident in the cockpit.

The investigation is ongoing, with UAE authorities continuing to analyze physical and electronic evidence to gain insights into the motives of the suspect and to find out if the incident was an orchestrated operation or if there was outside involvement and links to other people or groups.

Regional and international security agencies are also cooperating in the probe. Investigators will consider the chronology of the events, the nature of the security measures used and what evidence is available to determine the full nature of the attempted takeover.

The discovery brings another whole new layer to the FZ1073 incident, and the investigations regarding suspected activities by the man and possible wider connections are ongoing.