DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 3 (Infinite Headlines) — The FlyDubai co-pilot accused of attacking his captain and trying to take control of an Israel-bound plane had previously been barred from flying in Oman over concerns about extremist views, The Associated Press reported Saturday, citing an anonymous regional official and a person familiar with the matter.
The United Arab Emirates, which said it is leading the investigation, said the co-pilot attacked the captain with the cockpit’s crash axe on Wednesday as the plane descended sharply. The UAE called the incident a “terrorist attack.”
AP identified the co-pilot as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, citing three people with knowledge of the situation who spoke anonymously. AP reported that 182 passengers and crew were aboard the flight and that passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot.
An anonymous regional official told AP that al-Hammami had been moved to an administrative job at Oman Air after being barred from flying. Another AP account said he had been dismissed by Oman Air, leaving conflicting descriptions of how his employment there ended.
FlyDubai subsequently hired him, AP reported, citing an anonymous person familiar with the matter. An anonymous Gulf diplomat told AP that pre-hiring checks appeared to focus on criminal convictions rather than signs of radicalization.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that the co-pilot had undergone “Islamist radicalization.” He offered no evidence for that allegation, AP reported.
A FlyDubai spokesperson said by email that the airline could not comment beyond its official statements and acknowledged that “there are many questions at this stage.”
Security agencies from four regional countries were investigating the co-pilot’s motives with assistance from the United States and other Western governments, an anonymous regional official told AP.
