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

BBC: After the co-pilot stabbed the captain, two pilots who were seated in the cabin intervened alongside passengers and safely landed the Boeing 737 in Saudi Arabia

The co-pilot who attempted to take control of a Flydubai plane travelling to Israel attacked the pilot with a crash axe, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general has said.

The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying more than 170 people plunged 17,000ft (5,200m) two and a half hours into its journey, before passengers managed to overpower the attacker and successfully take control of the plane.

Capt Smit Machchhar said he was lying on the floor injured when he realised the plane was sinking and he had to act, explaining: "I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside", which allowed the passengers in.

Two reserve pilots then landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia.

A crash axe is usually kept ​in the cockpit in case of emergencies.

The weapon used has been a key question for investigators, given the stringent security on such a sensitive route. Early reports from passengers on board had suggested it might have been a knife.

The UAE attorney general told state media that investigations were ongoing to determine the full circumstances and motives of the incident.

The co-pilot who launched the attack was an Omani national, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Multiple media outlets including Reuters, CNN and The New York Times have named him as Hamam al-Hammami. There has been no official confirmation of this.

While working at another airline, Oman Air, US media reported that Al-Hammami was removed from flight training because of concerns over his radical views, and was given another role at Oman's national airline.

Australian authorities confirmed on Sunday they were investigating his "links" to the country, but did not provide any details.

Read it all here......