UAE says Flydubai co-pilot planned 'terrorist act' and attacked captain with axe

UAE investigators said on Saturday that a Flydubai co-pilot was planning a "terrorist act" when he attacked the captain with the cockpit's emergency axe during a flight to Israel this week.

The plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Investigators have not revealed his motive.

What did UAE investigators say about the Flydubai co-pilot?

UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said initial findings show the co-pilot "had attempted to carry out a terrorist act." State news agency WAM quoted him as saying the co-pilot attacked the captain with the emergency axe and tried to take control of the aircraft. The co-pilot remains in custody in the UAE.

The initial findings did not confirm his nationality, according to a Saturday report from WAM. A Saudi source has confirmed to AFP that he was Omani.

What happened on the Flydubai flight?

The co-pilot assaulted the plane's Indian captain during the flight. The captain managed to open the cockpit door, which allowed passengers and crew to overpower the attacker and force an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Passengers described rushing the cockpit and a fight for control after the plane plummeted. The aircraft lost around 17,000 feet of altitude in the span of a minute, according to the Flightradar24 website.

What do media reports say about the co-pilot's background?

Multiple media outlets overnight identified him as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami. They said he had been banned from flying in Oman over concerns about his extremist views. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Omani authorities imposed the ban over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views, citing people familiar with the matter.

CNN, citing two sources familiar with the matter, reported the co-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 he held extremist views. The broadcaster said he had 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.

How have Israel and the US responded?

The first flight carrying Israelis home from the UAE has landed in Tel Aviv after services were suspended following the attack, according to Israel's airport authority website. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the suspect had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination" and had attempted to crash the plane.

Netanyahu has said Israel would check how the co-pilot had been cleared to work on flights to the country. "We have constraints that say that you can't have pilots from countries that don't have diplomatic relations with Israel. Obviously he was able to go through that," he told Fox News.

US President Donald Trump warned on Thursday that if Iran was found to be linked to the attack, the country would be "hit very hard".