Flydubai co-pilot attacked pilot with axe, says UAE

The co-pilot of flydubai flight ⁠FZ1073 attempted to carry out a "terrorist" attack during the flight, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general has said, according ⁠to the state news agency WAM.

The co-pilot attacked the pilot inside the cockpit ‌with an axe and attempted to ⁠take control ‌of the aircraft, the prosecutor general said.

Investigations ⁠are ‌ongoing to determine the circumstances of the incident, the ⁠motives and any related ⁠connections, as well as to examine physical and digital evidence, he added.

The co-pilot had previously been barred from flying in Oman over concerns about his extremist views, multiple media outlets reported.

Scrutiny into the alleged assailant - who was identified in the reports as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami - and his motives has intensified after Wednesday's incident aboard a Dubai-Tel Aviv route that officials say narrowly avoided catastrophe.

During the flydubai flight, the jet's Indian captain was assaulted by his co-pilot but he managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker and force an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the suspect had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination" and had attempted to crash the plane.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Omani authorities had banned the pilot from flying over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views, citing people familiar with the matter.

CNN, citing two sources familiar with the matter, reported the pilot was removed from a job at Oman's national airline last year over concerns about extremist views.

Al Arabiya, citing an informed source, reported that Omani authorities determined that the co-pilot held extremist views.

The broadcaster said he had also spent time in Syria, raising concerns he may have been influenced by radical groups there.

ABC News, citing senior intelligence and law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation, reported the suspect had allegedly been found in possession of extremist materials while he was a trainee.