The FlyDubai co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of a plane flying to Israel asked to pray minutes before the alleged assault, according to reports. The aircraft, travelling from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv with 182 people on board, was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia last Wednesday following an alleged hijacking attempt.
Captain describes cockpit attack
Captain Smit Machchhar said the ordeal began minutes after his co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami asked to pray. Machchhar said the request was “not out of the ordinary” and he looked away “out of respect”. He said he felt a blow to the back of his head a few minutes later, and then the blows kept coming.
Speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, the FlyDubai captain said: “My first thought was that there was catastrophic damage to the aircraft.” But then, the captain claimed, “the blows kept coming, one after the other”.
Passengers subdue alleged attacker
Machchhar reportedly lay in the cockpit while the plane plunged 17,000ft. He added: “I felt the aircraft woosh down and people screaming.
“I had one last fight left in me and that’s when I pushed against everything, gave everything that I have and just went for the door. Thankfully, people were waiting to pounce back, took over the controls, and the rest is what you know, sir.”
Passengers and crew subdued the alleged attacker, and the flight landed safely. A replacement plane eventually landed in Tel Aviv.
Co-pilot's background questioned
The co-pilot had reportedly been barred from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted extremist views, a regional official and a person familiar with the matter have claimed. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, AP reports. They gave no details about the alleged extremist views.
It has now been confirmed that he completed a distance-learning course in aviation management at Buckinghamshire New University. In a statement to the Press Association, a spokesman for the university said: “Our thoughts are with the injured pilot, crew and passengers involved in this incident.
“Hamam al Hammami previously completed a distance-learning course in aviation management. He did not undertake any pilot training at the University.”
According to the university’s website, its aviation management courses “look into the background operations, logistics, security and management of the aviation industry”. Netanyahu told Machchhar that he was amazed at his courage and his ability to stay cool under impossible conditions. “You saved so many souls. ... You saved the spirit of the world,” he said.
