Dubai: The FlyDubai co pilot accused of attacking his captain and attempting to seize control of an aircraft could face the death penalty in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Israeli news outlet Ynet reported, citing an unnamed senior Emirati source.
The source said Hamam al Hammami was expected to receive the harshest available punishment once the investigation and legal proceedings were completed.
The report describes an anticipated outcome. It does not establish that a court has issued a conviction or death sentence. Capital punishment means execution following a judicial sentence.
Ynet also reported that the occupation's intelligence personnel and aviation specialists had arrived in Abu Dhabi to assist the investigation, alongside Saudi, Omani and American officials. Those details were attributed to the same unnamed source.
The UAE is leading the inquiry into the September 30 incident aboard flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
UAE Prosecutor General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the co pilot attacked the captain with a cockpit crash axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft. He described the incident as an attempted terrorist act.
A crash axe is emergency equipment carried aboard an aircraft to help crew break through obstructions.
Passengers and crew intervened, and a reserve pilot took control before landing safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Captain Smit Machchhar was wounded but survived.
Saudi authorities initially detained the suspect. He was subsequently transferred to UAE custody, according to Reuters, correcting reports that he remains detained in Saudi Arabia.
Separately, Australian counterterrorism investigators are examining his connections to Australia. Melbourne’s RMIT University has confirmed that he enrolled there but did not complete an engineering qualification.
Investigators have yet to publicly announce their final findings on the attack’s motive or possible involvement of other people.
