First officer who attacked pilot with ax admits he intended to crash plane into Israel

The first officer who attacked the captain of a flydubai flight bound for Israel has admitted to terrorism charges, according to reports.

UAE Prosecutor General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said Saturday (local time) that the incident constituted an attempted terrorist attack, according to the state news agency WAM. He said the first officer struck the captain with an emergency ax — a cockpit escape tool kept on board for use in crashes and other emergencies — in an attempt to seize control of the aircraft.

ABC News reported that the first officer admitted he had intended to deliberately crash the plane. The suspect was identified as Hammam Al Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani national, who has been extradited to the UAE and is under investigation by local authorities.

Under international aviation law, jurisdiction over crimes committed aboard an aircraft is granted primarily to the country where the aircraft is registered. Accordingly, Al Hammami was extradited Thursday to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE and home country of flydubai.

Al Hammami has been described as cooperative with UAE investigators and has reportedly told them he intended to crash the plane into Israel. UAE authorities have classified the incident as an attempted terrorist attack and are investigating the specific circumstances, motive and possible accomplices based on his statements. Reuters reported that an Israeli investigative team is also participating in the UAE-led probe.

Meanwhile, Arab broadcaster Al Arabiya, citing sources, reported that Al Hammami had been radicalized during a stay in Syria. He had also previously been banned from flying in Oman over concerns about his extremist leanings.

After the flight ban, he continued working in an administrative role at Oman Air before later moving to UAE carrier flydubai. How he was cleared to fly again — and was assigned as first officer on the security-sensitive UAE-Israel route — remains under investigation.