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Flydubai attacker began drifting towards extremism in Australia, UAE says
Overview
United Arab Emirates officials state that the Omani co-pilot who allegedly attempted to hijack a Flydubai flight by attacking the captain with an axe began his drift towards extremism while studying in Australia. According to the UAE Attorney-General, the 29-year-old pilot was inspired by the 9/11 attacks and planned a suicide attack to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's airport. Passengers overpowered the attacker, and the aircraft safely landed in Saudi Arabia. Investigations revealed he acted alone, having been influenced by radical online content and extremist literature during his time studying abroad.
Key points
- UAE officials state the Omani co-pilot who attacked a Flydubai flight began drifting towards extremism while studying in Australia in 2017.
- The 29-year-old pilot allegedly attempted a suicide attack by trying to crash the Dubai-to-Tel-Aviv flight into Tel Aviv's airport.
- The attacker wounded the captain in the cockpit with an emergency crash axe before being overpowered by passengers.
- The flight successfully landed in Saudi Arabia after another crew member unlocked the cockpit door.
- Investigations indicate the pilot acted alone and was influenced by radical ideology, extremist literature, and online terrorist content.
- Australian counter-terrorism authorities launched an investigation into the man's links to the country, where he previously held a student visa.