Flydubai suspect probably acted alone, Israeli sources say

Israeli sources have told CNN that the co-pilot accused of attacking his captain on a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv and trying to take control of the plane probably acted alone. Separately, CNN found images of al Qaeda figures posted to social media accounts linked to him.cnn

An Israeli official said the evidence gathered so far suggests the suspect worked alone. A second Israeli source said no link to any organization or government is currently known, but stressed that this view rests on what investigators have found so far. The United Arab Emirates and Israel are running their own investigations. Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry is also involved because the plane made an emergency landing in the kingdom.cnn

Attack in the cockpit

The UAE's attorney general said the co-pilot hit the captain with a crash axe, a tool most passenger planes are required to carry, and then tried to seize the aircraft in what he called an attempted "terrorist act". Flight FZ1073, a Boeing The Boeing Company ↗ 0.67% 737 Max 8 flying from Dubai, lost thousands of feet of altitude within minutes during Wednesday's attack.keyt+1

Capt. Smit Machchhar spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening. He said the co-pilot had asked to step aside to pray, and a few minutes later he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head. "My first thought was that there was a catastrophic damage to the aircraft," he said in a video released by Netanyahu's office. He said he opened the cockpit door once but believes the co-pilot shut it again. He forced it open a second time, and passengers rushed in to subdue the attacker. Netanyahu called him "a hero of Israel" and invited him to light a ceremonial flame at Israel's Independence Day celebrations next spring. Machchhar is recovering in a hospital in Abu Dhabi.kvia

Extremism concerns

Sources identified the suspect as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani citizen. Two sources said Oman Air removed him from a previous job last year over concerns about his extremist views. About nine hours after the incident, a LinkedIn Microsoft Corporation ↗ 0.92% profile in his name posted a video of cockpit footage that zoomed in on El Al planes. The video ended with photos of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the former al Qaeda leader, and of Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, who carried out a 2009 suicide bombing that killed CIA personnel. It is unclear who published the posts. Netanyahu has said the suspect is believed to have undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination." President Donald Trump suggested a possible link to Iran but gave no details. Australian Federal Police say they are looking into al-Hammami's connections to Australia.keyt+1

The case has raised questions in Israel about how crew members are vetted. A Transportation Ministry spokesperson said on Saturday that "the Ministry of Transport's procedures do not address the threat from a pilot".keyt