First officer at Flydubai suspected of having flight ban – being investigated as terror attack
First officer Hamam al-Hammami, suspected of knife attack aboard a Flydubai aircraft, is reported to have had a flight ban in Oman. The aircraft descended 5,000 metres with 180 passengers on board.
First officer with flight ban attacked captain with knife aboard Flydubai aircraft
First officer Hamam al-Hammami is suspected of attacking the captain with a knife on a Flydubai aircraft during a flight between Dubai and Tel Aviv on Wednesday, according to Aftonbladet. There were 180 passengers on board when the aircraft rapidly lost 5,000 metres of altitude in just a few minutes.
Passengers and crew eventually managed to overpower al-Hammami. Two off-duty British pilots who happened to be on board took control and made an emergency landing. The incident is now being investigated as a suspected terror attack, according to a prosecutor from the United Arab Emirates at a press conference on Saturday, according to Reuters.
Reports of radicalisation
According to the Wall Street Journal, al-Hammami is said to have had a flight ban in his home country Oman, issued due to concerns that he had developed radical ideological views. Despite this, he was employed by Flydubai. It is unclear whether Oman shared information about his alleged radicalisation with other countries. The United Arab Emirates has declined to comment on the reports about the flight ban, according to the WSJ.
LinkedIn profile with extremist images
Nine hours after the incident, a LinkedIn profile in the same name as the first officer is reported to have posted two video clips, according to CNN. CNN has been able to geolocate one of the clips to Dubai International Airport. The video ends with an image of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who led al-Qaeda following Usama bin Laden's death. The same clip also features an image of Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, who killed nine people in a suicide attack in 2009 and was loyal to the terrorist organisation, according to CNN.
The passengers landed in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
Source: Aftonbladet