Initial indications suggest Flydubai co-pilot acted alone in attack

Initial findings indicate that the Flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking the captain and attempting to take control of an Israel-bound flight appears to have acted alone, rather than as part of an organised group or at the direction of a foreign government, according to multiple US officials familiar with the investigation and a former Israeli security official cited by NBC News.

US officials stressed that the investigation into last Wednesday’s incident is still in its early stages.

READ: Flydubai pilot stabbing and attempted crash: What we know so far

Shalom Ben Hanan, a former official with Israel’s domestic security agency Shin Bet, said the current assessment points to a lone-wolf attack allegedly inspired by material found online.

He cautioned, however, that investigators still need to determine whether any organisation or state was involved.

Emirati authorities, who are overseeing the investigation, said on Saturday that the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with a crash ax and tried to take control of the aircraft’s flight controls in what they described as an attempted terrorist attack.

The suspect, Omani national Hamam Hamami, told Emirati investigators during questioning that he had planned to deliberately crash the passenger jet into Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, said an Israeli source.

According to the source, Hamami told investigators that he had begun planning the attack before being hired by Flydubai. He allegedly researched airlines operating flights to Tel Aviv and sought employment with them before eventually joining Flydubai.

READ: UAE attorney-general responds to Flydubai attempted terrorist act

The flight was carrying 174 passengers, most of them Israelis, from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The attempted crash was thwarted after crew members and passengers entered the cockpit and subdued the attacker, according to eyewitnesses and Israeli officials.

Following the incident, Israel’s Transportation Ministry notified foreign airlines that crew members holding sole or dual nationality from any of 27 countries, including Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, are prohibited from operating or travelling as crew on flights to Israel.

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