Co-pilot of flydubai attempted terrorist act: UAE attorney general

The UAE’s attorney general said on Saturday that the co-pilot of a flydubai flight that was forced to divert to Saudi Arabia following an emergency incident had “attempted to carry out a terrorist act”. Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said investigations found that the co-pilot on Flight FZ1073 attacked the captain inside the cockpit with a crash axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft. He said investigations were continuing to establish the full circumstances and motives behind the incident, as well as any possible links, while technical examinations and analysis of physical and digital evidence were also under way. “The final results will be announced upon the conclusion of all necessary procedures, ” Al Shamsi said. He had earlier directed a specialist team to investigate the security incident aboard the flight, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. The pilot, Capt Smit Machchhar, has been praised for helping avert a disaster and save the lives of the 172 passengers and crew members aboard the aircraft. Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door to seek assistance after being attacked by the co-pilot, during which the Boeing 737 plunged about 14, 000 feet. After the co-pilot was overpowered, several passengers and a reserve pilot helped stabilise the aircraft before it landed safely at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Machchhar, speaking publicly for the first time since the incident, told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a phone call from an Abu Dhabi hospital on Friday that he had been “fighting for my life” during the attack. FlyDubai chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith also praised the crew and passengers for helping secure and land the aircraft safely, while thanking Saudi Arabia for its “swift and professional response”. Flight FZ1073 had diverted over Jordanian airspace towards Saudi Arabia after departing Dubai International Airport and transmitted two emergency signals. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft descended rapidly before landing in Tabuk. Al Ghaith said a full official investigation, supported by flydubai, was underway and that authorities needed to establish the facts surrounding the incident.

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