The flydubai co-pilot who attacked Indian Captain Smit Machchhar in an apparent bid to crash the Israel-bound flight likely acted alone, media reports said on Sunday.
The co-pilot has been identified by multiple media outlets as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, although his identity has not been officially confirmed.The Wall Street Journal reported that al-Hammami had previously been barred from flying in Oman over concerns about his radical ideological views.
International investigators are still working to determine a motive, but an Israeli official said information from the inquiry suggested the suspect acted alone, CNN reported.
Another Israeli source said that, at the moment, Israel does not know of any link to a group or government. Both stressed this was their understanding so far, the report added.
The United Arab Emirates and Israel are both investigating the incident. The Interior Ministry of Saudi Arabia, where the plane made an emergency landing, is also conducting investigations.
Also, CBS News reported that the alleged attempted hijacking was likely a lone-wolf attack, and the investigation is still in full swing, and all avenues are still being explored, according to an early investigation by Israel.
On Wednesday, flydubai flight FZ1073 narrowly avoided disaster on its journey from Dubai, plummeting thousands of feet in a matter of minutes amid the attack on the plane’s captain.
Despite being wounded, Captain Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door and signal his distress to passengers and crew, who bravely rushed into the cockpit to regain control of the aircraft.
Also, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said that it is investigating al-Hammami’s links to the country.
Australian security agencies have launched an investigation after it emerged that al-Hammami spent about two years in the country as a student.
Sources familiar with the case told Australian media that the co-pilot was issued a student visa in 2014 and studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017 before leaving the country.
His visa was cancelled in 2019, the ABC reported, adding that the cancellation was not on character grounds but because he was no longer enrolled in a course and therefore no longer eligible for a student visa.
The UAE, which is leading the investigation, said on Saturday that its probe had revealed the co-pilot attempted to carry out a "terrorist act".
The flight, carrying 174 passengers, transmitted emergency signals and made a rapid descent of more than 17,000 feet from 34,000 feet.- PTI
