A Flydubai co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with a crash axe and tried to seize the controls during a flight to Tel Aviv, the United Arab Emirates’ attorney-general said Saturday. Hamad Saif al Shamsi described the incident as an attempted terrorist act.
Flight FZ1073 was carrying 174 passengers, most of them Israeli, from Dubai when the incident occurred Wednesday. Eyewitnesses and Israeli officials said crew members and passengers subdued the alleged attacker, averting a crash.
The suspect, an Omani citizen, was transferred from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi on Thursday, according to the Saudi Interior Ministry. His medical condition remains unclear, and authorities have not officially identified him.
Emirati investigators are still examining the circumstances, motive and possible connections, al Shamsi said. Israeli officials have also said they will take part in the investigation.
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