Flydubai Co-Pilot's Extremist Past Revealed Amid Investigation
Translated & summarized from i24NEWS Arabic by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Flydubai co-pilot Humam Al-Hammami allegedly attempted to crash flight to Tel Aviv.
- Al-Hammami had been previously suspended for suspected extremist views.
- Pilot's actions and crew intervention reportedly prevented the disaster.
- Investigators are examining Al-Hammami's potential links to extremist groups.
- Suspicious videos linked to Al-Hammami's profile have been discovered.
New details have emerged regarding an attempted attack on Flydubai flight 1073, which was en route to Tel Aviv. The co-pilot, 29-year-old Omani national Humam Al-Hammami, allegedly attempted to seize control of the aircraft by attacking the pilot. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, "As time goes by, the picture becomes clearer. The perpetrator was radicalized. He came to crash the plane on its passengers." Al-Hammami had previously been suspended from another airline due to suspected extremist views, yet was later hired by Flydubai. Investigators are examining whether Omani authorities shared information about his radicalization.
The averted disaster was reportedly thwarted by the pilot's quick thinking, the presence of Israeli passengers, and an alternate flight crew. Sources indicate Al-Hammami has cooperated with investigators and admitted to planning to crash the plane in Israeli territory. Two suspicious videos were uploaded to Al-Hammami's LinkedIn profile: one from a Boeing 737 cockpit filmed at Dubai Airport, showing tracking of Israeli aircraft, including El Al and Arkia planes, and dated October 2023. This video also featured images of former Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and Khalil al-Balawi, who carried out a 2009 suicide attack. The second video, uploaded by a third party or possibly pre-arranged by Al-Hammami, displayed images of Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem with a song about defying humiliation and fear of death.
An Israeli team is expected to join the investigation in the UAE soon. Key questions to be addressed include whether Al-Hammami was acting on behalf of a terrorist organization or the Iranian regime, and if he received assistance from within Flydubai. These inquiries aim to understand the full scope of the potential catastrophe, which could have been one of the most significant disasters in Israel's history.
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