In flydubai flight FZ1073, an Omani pilot tried to hijack the plane and attacked its captain. Captain Sumit was seriously injured in this attack. However, the pilot was controlled due to the courage of the passengers. Now the question is arising as to what action will be taken against him and whether he will be given death penalty.
Regarding this case, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is demanding the harshest punishment against the accused Hamam Al-Hammami. According to the report of Israeli news outlet Ynet, this may also include death penalty. The report also says that many Israeli officials are helping the UAE in the investigation.
Why comparison with 9/11 attacks?
This is being seen as a plan for an attack like 9/11. According to reports, the accused’s plan was to kill the mosquito silently and crash the plane in a populated area in Israel. If this had happened, thousands of people could have lost their lives.
This conspiracy showed similarities with the infamous terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In that attack, 19 terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda had captured four American passenger planes. Three of these planes were deliberately crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. About 3,000 people died in that attack.
In which cases is there death penalty in UAE?
- Pre-planned murder: If a person is murdered in a pre-planned manner, it may constitute a serious crime punishable with death.
- Terrorism: There is a provision for strict punishment for such serious terrorist acts, which pose a major threat to the security of the country or spread terror on a large scale.
- Serious rape cases: In serious cases like rape of minors or rape of a helpless or disabled person, there may be a provision of death penalty.
- Large-scale drug trafficking: There may be a provision for death penalty in cases of drug trafficking in large quantities or serious crimes related to it.
- Crimes against the security of the state: In war or special circumstances, crimes involving treason or posing a major threat to national security can also come under the ambit of death penalty.
What is the matter?
This incident happened on September 30 in a flight going from Dubai to Tel Aviv. There were more than 170 people on board the plane. During the flight, al-Hammami attacked Indian Captain Smit Machar, who was in the cockpit, with a crash ax and tried to take control of the plane.
Passengers and crew members intervened to stop the accused. At the same time, other pilots present in the plane helped in handling the situation and keeping the plane stable. After this the plane had to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
What did UAE say?
UAE has described this incident as a terrorist attack. 29-year-old Al-Hammami is a citizen of Oman. He was detained in Saudi Arabia and later brought to UAE for questioning.
The attacker pilot said during interrogation?
According to The Wall Street Journal report, during interrogation in Saudi Arabia, al-Hammami told investigators that he wanted to crash the plane and was not afraid of death. This information has been revealed by quoting a Saudi official, who was familiar with his interrogation.
Investigators are now trying to find out whether al-Hammami was influenced by radical ideas during his stay in Syria. He spent some time of his life in Syria, when the civil war was going on there. Along with this, his online activities are also being investigated.
More than 3 thousand screenshots of deleted X account..
According to the report, screenshots of more than 3,000 posts from Al-Hammami’s deleted X account are still available on the Internet Archive. In some of these posts, women’s work was opposed. In some posts, preference was expressed towards religious women who wear veil.
Why was Oman Air banned?
Before joining flydubai, Al-Hammami worked at Oman Air. According to people familiar with his background who spoke to The Wall Street Journal, Oman Air had stopped him from flying after authorities learned he had an interest in visiting extremist websites. After this he was put through a de-radicalization program. After this he was given a desk job instead of flying responsibilities. Al-Hammami later looked for a job elsewhere. According to the report, he had also tried to get a job in Royal Air Maroc in 2025.
After this, the question arises that despite this earlier background, how did he succeed in getting the job of a pilot again and how did he reach the cockpit in another airline.
Why is Flydubai’s recruitment process under scrutiny?
According to The Wall Street Journal, UAE usually follows a detailed security check process while recruiting pilots. However, the newspaper could not find out what level of investigation was carried out by flydubai before hiring Al-Hammami. People familiar with his background said that if any other country had asked Oman for information regarding his security clearance for a job, Oman would have shared the information. However, according to him, Oman had not received any request seeking such information in this regard. Al-Hammami studied aviation in UAE. After this he completed a remote-learning course in Aviation Management from Buckinghamshire New University, England.