Co-pilot Who Attacked Captain with Axe Admits Intent to "Crash" Plane

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on October 3 (local time) that the co-pilot who attacked the captain of an Israel-bound flydubai passenger plane with a weapon has been investigated for attempting a terrorist attack.

According to the WAM news agency, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi classified the incident as a attempted terrorist attack, stating that the co-pilot carried it out mid-flight by attacking the captain with an emergency axe in an attempt to seize control of the aircraft's flight controls.

An emergency axe is an escape equipment kept in the aircraft cockpit to be used in emergency situations such as a crash.

In connection with this, ABC News in the United States reported that the co-pilot confessed to having the intention of intentionally crashing the aircraft.

According to the report, the co-pilot, identified as 29-year-old Omani national Hammam al-Hammami, has been extradited to the UAE and is undergoing investigation by local authorities.

Under international aviation law, jurisdiction over crimes committed aboard aircraft is preferentially granted to the country of aircraft registration. Accordingly, al-Hammami was extradited on October 1 to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, which is the country of registry for flydubai.

Reports indicate that al-Hammami is cooperative with the UAE authorities' investigation and has stated that he intended to crash the passenger plane in Israel.

UAE investigative authorities have classified the incident as a terrorist attempt and are investigating the specific circumstances, motives, and presence of accomplices.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu classified the incident as an act of terror by an Islamic extremist, claiming, "He tried to crash the plane with passengers on board."

An Israeli government official told Reuters that an Israeli investigation team is also participating in the UAE-led probe.

Meanwhile, the Arab media outlet Al Arabiya reported, citing sources, that al-Hammami was indoctrinated with extremist ideology during his stay in Syria.

Reports also indicate that he previously faced a flight ban in Oman due to concerns over his radical ideological tendencies.

Following this ban, he continued to work in an administrative role at Oman Air, and ABC News reported that how he subsequently moved to the UAE airline flydubai and was deployed as a co-pilot on the security-sensitive UAE-Israel route remains under investigation.

※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.