Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with axe, UAE official says
4 minutes ago
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 said.
The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying more than 170 people plunged some 17,000ft (5,200m) two and a half hours into its journey, before passengers managed to overpower the attacker and 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 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.
Copyright for this text belongs to BBC.