Two Maldivian Pilots Arrested in UAE Amid Flydubai Hijacking Probe
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
Two Maldivian pilots working for Flydubai were arrested in the United Arab Emirates as part of an investigation into an attempted hijacking of a flight to Tel Aviv. The pilot who attempted the hijacking confessed to acting alone, stating he planned a suicide attack inspired by 9/11. However, investigators are still examining the arrested pilots' connections to the incident.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Two Maldivian pilots were arrested in the UAE in connection with an attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight.
- The arrested pilots worked for Flydubai and their families were notified by the Maldivian Embassy.
- The pilot who attempted the hijacking confessed to planning a suicide attack on Ben Gurion Airport.
- The confessed pilot was inspired by the September 11th attacks and had scouted the route.
- Investigators are examining the arrested pilots' potential knowledge of the hijacking plot.
Two Maldivian pilots employed by Flydubai have been arrested in the United Arab Emirates as part of the ongoing investigation into the attempted hijacking of flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The Maldives website Adhadhu reported that the pilots' families were officially notified of their detention by the Maldivian Embassy in the UAE. According to the report, the arrests occurred last Saturday, but families were unaware of their whereabouts for several days until Tuesday, when they received confirmation of their detention by police.
Maldivian authorities have refrained from providing further details, with spokespersons for the president's office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declining to comment. This development is significant given the UAE's Attorney General, Hamad Saif Al-Shamsi, announced that the pilot who attempted the hijacking, Hamam Al-Hamami, confessed to acting alone. Al-Shamsi stated that Al-Hamami planned to seize control of the aircraft and crash it into Ben Gurion Airport's terminal in a suicide attack inspired by the September 11th attacks. Authorities also revealed that Al-Hamami had previously flown to Tel Aviv to familiarize himself with the route and the airport.
Despite Al-Hamami's confession of acting alone, the arrest of the two Maldivian pilots indicates that UAE investigators are continuing to examine his professional and personal connections and the possibility that others were aware of his intentions.
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