UAE says co-pilot on FlyDubai plane that nearly crashed attacked captain with cockpit's crash axe
The co-pilot has been identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami
The co-pilot suspected of stabbing the captain of an Israel-bound FlyDubai flight before passengers and others stopped the attack is an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami, three people with knowledge of the situation, including a Gulf and Western diplomat, said on Saturday.
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people → say → Saturday
The United Arab Emirates said the co-pilot attacked the captain with the cockpit's crash axe and tried to take control of the plane in a "terrorist attack."
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pilot → say → attack
All three people who identified the co-pilot spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
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they → identify → media
The Gulf diplomat said investigations are underway to establish whether he acted as a "lone wolf or has any connection with any extremist groups."
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he → say → groups
The co-pilot, who officials said nearly crashed the sharply plummeting flight with 182 people aboard, was barred from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted extremist views, a separate person familiar with the matter said.
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person → say → matter
The co-pilot was then hired by the UAE-based airline FlyDubai, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.
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person → hire → investigation
It was not immediately clear to what extent he was vetted when he was hired.
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he → vet → ?
Oman's barring of him was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
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barring → report → Journal
An official says the co-pilot was born in the UAE
How the co-pilot managed to be working in the cockpit on Wednesday morning is a central question for investigators.
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managed → say → investigators
Israel says it has agreements with foreign carriers to keep pilots from flying into the country if they are citizens of nations that don't maintain diplomatic relations with it.
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that → say → it
Israel and Oman do not have formal diplomatic relations.
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Israel → have → relations
Oman's government has said nothing publicly in response to repeated questions since the incident.
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government → say → incident
The co-pilot was born in the UAE and his mother is Syrian, according to another regional official with knowledge of the investigation.
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mother → bear → investigation
The official confirmed that the co-pilot worked with Oman's national airline but was removed from flying because of concerns that he showed signs of extremist views.
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he → confirm → views
He was later moved to an administrative job at Oman Air, the official said.
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official → move → Air
Security agencies from four regional countries were working to establish the co-pilot's motives, aided by the United States and other Western governments, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the investigation.
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official → work → investigation
UAE senior diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash on Friday called the attack a "dangerous terrorist act" in a post on X. The incident is a test for the UAE government, which has earned a reputation for effective measures against extremist activities but has also bristled in the past over criticism of security lapses.
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which → call → lapses
A social media account was deleted the day of the flight
Little else was immediately known about the co-pilot's background.
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Little → delete → background
His Instagram account was active until the day of the flight and then deleted.
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account → delete → flight
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said the co-pilot had undergone "Islamist radicalization," but provided no evidence.
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pilot → say → evidence
The captain, who was badly wounded, has said he used his remaining energy while being stabbed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing people who had noticed alarmingly unusual sounds to come in, tackle the co-pilot and stabilize the plane.
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who → wound → plane
It made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
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It → make → Arabia
Investigators have not publicly identified the object used to stab the captain or said whether it was carried onto the plane or came from inside the aircraft.
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it → identify → aircraft
Both the captain and co-pilot were later taken to the UAE as it leads the investigation.
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it → take → investigation
Officials have said a number of countries including Israel are participating.
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number → say → Israel
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