Early indications suggest Flydubai co-pilot acted alone in attack, officials say

Officials cautioned that the investigation remains in its early stages and that possible links to an organization or foreign government have not been definitively ruled out.

Early indications suggest the Flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking his captain and trying to seize control of an Israel-bound plane acted alone, rather than as part of a larger organization or on behalf of a foreign government, multiple U.S. officials briefed on the investigation and a former Israeli security official told NBC News.

The U.S. officials cautioned that the investigation into Wednesday’s midair attack remains at an early stage.

“The assessment is that he operated alone. Right now, it looks like a case of ‘lone wolf’ terrorism inspired by content found online,” said Shalom Ben Hanan, a former official in the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency.

“We still need to wait for the final investigation results to determine whether an organization or a state is behind it,” he added.

Emirati authorities, who are leading the investigation, said Saturday that the co-pilot attacked the captain with a crash ax and attempted to take control of the aircraft’s flight controls in an attempted terrorist attack.

The flight was carrying 174 mostly Israeli passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv. A crash was averted when crew members and passengers entered the cockpit and subdued the attacker, according to eyewitnesses and Israeli officials.

NBC News has identified the suspect as Omani citizen Hamam al-Hammami, based on information from multiple sources from three agencies briefed on the investigation and a diplomat in the Middle East. Authorities have not released his identity.

UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said Saturday that investigators were working to establish the incident’s “full circumstances, motives, and any links.”

The preliminary assessment comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that investigators were examining whether the attacker had been sent by someone.

President Donald Trump also raised the possibility of Iranian involvement Thursday, threatening renewed strikes against Iran if it was behind the attack. A senior U.S. official briefed on the Israeli investigation previously told NBC News there were no indications that Iran directed or was involved in the attack.

The flight captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, said Friday from a hospital in Abu Dhabi that he had been severely injured and could sense the aircraft descending before he managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene.

“I was acting for my own life, but at the same time, I knew I couldn’t let all of them die,” he said on a video call released by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Raf Sanchez and Paul Goldman reported from Tel Aviv. Tom Winter reported from New York.