"In Revenge For Gaza": What flydubai Omani Co-Pilot Told Investigators
An Omani co-pilot for flydubai attempted to crash a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, citing revenge for the conflict in Gaza. The attack was thwarted by the captain and passengers, and the suspect is currently under interrogation.
Why it matters
This event underscores the severe security risks posed by radicalization in the aviation industry and the volatility of regional conflicts.
Hamam al-Hammami, the Omani co-pilot who brutally attacked the captain of a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv and then tried to crash the airliner last week, wanted "revenge for Gaza", a television news broadcaster in Israel has reported quoting investigators.Currently detained and undergoing interrogation within the United Arab Emirates, al-Hammami informed investigators that his plan involved operating the flight in a routine manner after incapacitating the captain, securing all mandatory landing clearances, and subsequently crashing into an airport facility or stationed aircraft, as detailed by Hebrew media sources cited by The Times of Israel.According to The Times of Israel, that consideration accounted for why al-Hammami delayed seizing control of the flight deck until the aeroplane traversed Jordanian airspace.His actions were thwarted when Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian, despite suffering an assault and stab wounds from al-Hammami, succeeded in unlatching the cockpit portal, allowing a group of Israeli travellers to…
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