Desk. Big news has come to light related to the case of attack on the co-pilot on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. According to media reports, UAE Police have arrested two Maldivian pilots working for Flydubai. The arrest has been made in connection with an alleged attempt to hijack and crash a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight by Al-Hammami, an Omani co-pilot. In this incident, Indian Captain Smit Machar was injured while foiling the suspected conspiracy.
According to the report, both these pilots were detained on October 3. The Maldivian Embassy in the UAE has formally informed their families about their detention. The report said that Maldivian authorities have refused to comment on the detention of these two pilots. UAE authorities have not yet released any official information regarding the charges against the detained Maldivian pilots or the status of the investigation into their possible involvement.
Let us tell you that these arrests took place when UAE officials expanded the scope of investigation into the September 30 incident. The incident involved flydubai co-pilot Hammam al-Hammami, who is an Omani national. He is accused of attacking the flight's pilot Machar with an ax in an alleged attempt to hijack the plane and carry out a “terrorist attack”.
According to the Male-based 'Miharu' newspaper, the two male pilots were believed to have been in contact with al-Hammami at his place of work and lived in the same building as him. However, authorities have not officially revealed the nature of his alleged connections to the incident or the details of the evidence against him.
According to the report, the two are among six Maldivian nationals working as pilots for flydubai and are said to be the most recently recruited pilots from the Maldives to the airline. Flight FZ1073, carrying 174 passengers and crew, was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the alleged attack occurred.
During the flight, the co-pilot allegedly attacked the mosquito with a knife in an attempt to hijack and crash the plane. Although the pilot was seriously injured in the attack, he fought off the attacker and opened the cockpit door. This allowed crew members and passengers to reach inside, overpower the co-pilot, and help stabilize the aircraft. The plane made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.