New Details Emerge on Flydubai Pilot's Attempted Terror Attack

A comprehensive investigation by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera has revealed dramatic new details about the attempted terror attack on a Flydubai flight. The report suggests the co-pilot, identified as Humam Al-Hamami, intentionally shut down the aircraft's engines while at high altitude. After failing in his initial plan to crash the plane, Al-Hamami reportedly disengaged the autopilot, took control, and pushed the controls forward, causing the plane to lose approximately 16,000 feet in under a minute.

Two Boeing 737 captains analyzing video footage from the cabin concluded the engines were shut down. They noted that emergency lights, typically activated during ground evacuations or extreme situations, illuminated during the struggle. According to their explanation, these lights only activate when the aircraft loses its primary electrical power source and switches to emergency batteries, which occurs when the generators stop functioning, indicating the engines have been turned off. This finding supports the suspicion that Al-Hamami deliberately switched the fuel flow to the engines to the 'off' position.

The investigation also detailed the sequence of emergency signals sent during the critical moments. An initial code of 7700, indicating a general emergency, was transmitted by a pilot. Seven minutes later, the code was changed to 7500, signaling a hijacking. By this time, the plane was nearing Jordanian airspace, and air traffic control instructed it to turn back. Another seven minutes passed before the crew received instructions to proceed to Tabuk for an emergency landing.

During the incident, the co-pilot attacked the Indian captain with a knife. The injured captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing four Israeli passengers, Yaniv Hayon, Dr. Shota Musaev, Zvika Mans, and Assaf Rejwan, to enter and subdue the attacker. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the perpetrator had undergone Islamist radicalization and intended to crash the plane with its passengers, adding that an investigation is underway to determine if he was sent and by whom.

In parallel, a special Israeli investigation team has arrived in the United Arab Emirates, where Al-Hamami was transferred from Saudi Arabia for further questioning. A senior official in Abu Dhabi confirmed that Mossad agents and Israeli aviation experts are secretly participating in the investigation alongside Saudi, Omani, and US intelligence representatives.