Who Is the Co-Pilot Accused of Attacking a Flydubai Captain?

Kathmandu : The identity of the co-pilot accused of stabbing Indian captain Smit Machhar aboard a Flydubai flight from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Tel Aviv, Israel, has been revealed.

According to CNN, the man accused of attacking the captain has been identified as Hamam Al-Hamami. An Omani national, Al-Hamami was born in the UAE. His father is Omani and his mother is Syrian. He reportedly spent much of his life in the UAE.

Al-Hamami previously worked for Oman’s national airline. However, CNN reported that he was removed from pilot training in 2014 and was subsequently assigned to a different role within the airline. He joined Flydubai about eight months ago.

CNN reported that Al-Hamami had spent a considerable amount of time in Syria in recent years, where he was reportedly influenced by extremist ideas. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that investigators had found evidence suggesting an influence of Al-Qaeda ideology on him.

Citing sources, CNN reported that during questioning, Al-Hamami said he wanted to crash the aircraft in Israel.

The incident occurred on September 30, when he allegedly attacked Captain Machhar with a knife inside the cockpit during the flight. The aircraft reportedly began descending rapidly following the attack.

Despite sustaining serious injuries, Captain Machhar is reported to have fought back against the attacker and managed to open the cockpit door. Passengers and other crew members then restrained the co-pilot. The aircraft subsequently made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Following the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker had been influenced by Islamist extremism. Netanyahu also claimed that the attacker had boarded the aircraft with the intention of crashing it along with the passengers.