Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with crash axe, UAE official says

Notably, the co-pilot of the Flydubai plane travelling to Israel attacked the pilot with a crash axe in an attempt to take control of the aircraft, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general has remarked.

Key points

• The co-pilot who introduced the attack was an Omani national, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• Machchhar was in "good health and recovering well", the Indian embassy in the UAE remarked on Thursday.
• While on-duty crew travelling on the flight entered the cockpit and landed the plan safely, passengers aboard the aircraft were able to overpower the attacker.
• A crash axe is usually kept in the cockpit to be applied during emergencies such as crashes.
• The UAE attorney general informed state media that investigations were ongoing to determine the full circumstances and motives of the incident.

In practice, the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying more than 170 individuals plunged more than 17, 000ft (5, 200m) two and a half hours into its journey.

Capt Smit Machchhar, who was stabbed in the attack, was taken to a nearby hospital before being airlifted to Abu Dhabi, where he is documented to be in a stable condition.

Notably, a crash axe is usually kept in the cockpit to be applied during emergencies such as crashes.

Meanwhile, the UAE attorney general informed state media that investigations were ongoing to determine the full circumstances and motives of the incident.

In practice, the co-pilot who introduced the attack was an Omani national, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

After being subdued, the attacker called out to the crew, "Kill me, kill me!" He went on: "So, it's clear that he was suicidal, netanyahu informed Fox News on Thursday that. It looks particularly probable that he was going to down the plane." He also said the attacker "underwent Islamist radical indoctrination".

In practice, the UAE has begun investigating whether the "incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose", according to the country's state news agency.

For context, the pilot remarked: "I am confident that the recovery will be there and I will become fit and healthy again."

In short, flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with crash axe, UAE official says is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.