DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 3 (Infinite Headlines) — The FlyDubai co-pilot accused of attacking his captain and trying to seize control of an Israel-bound plane had previously been barred from flying in Oman over concerns about extremist views, The Associated Press reported Saturday, Oct. 3, citing two anonymous sources.
The United Arab Emirates, which said it is leading the investigation, said the co-pilot attacked the captain with the cockpit’s crash axe on Wednesday and tried to take control as the aircraft descended sharply. The UAE called the incident a “terrorist attack.”
AP identified the co-pilot as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, citing three people with knowledge of the situation who spoke anonymously. AP reported that 182 passengers and crew were aboard the flight and that passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot.
An anonymous regional official and a person familiar with the matter told AP that Oman had barred al-Hammami from flying because of concerns about extremist views. The regional official said he was moved to an administrative job at Oman Air. Another AP account described him as having been dismissed by the airline; the accounts differ on that point.
FlyDubai subsequently hired him, AP reported, citing an anonymous person familiar with the matter. An anonymous Gulf diplomat told AP that checks before his hiring appeared to focus on criminal convictions rather than signs of radicalization.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that the co-pilot had undergone “Islamist radicalization.” He offered no evidence for that allegation.
A FlyDubai spokesperson said by email that the airline could not comment beyond its official statements, acknowledging that “there are many questions at this stage.”
Security agencies from four regional countries were investigating the co-pilot’s motives, with assistance from the United States and other Western governments, an anonymous regional official told AP.
