FLYDUBAI CO PILOT EXPECTED TO FACE DEATH PENALTY AS UAE TREATS FZ1073 ATTACK AS TERRORISM
The Omani co pilot accused of attacking the captain of Flydubai Flight FZ1073 is expected to face the death penalty in the United Arab Emirates, according to a senior Emirati source cited in regional reporting. Hammam al Hammami, 29, is accused of attacking Captain Smit Machchhar with a cockpit crash axe and attempting to seize control of the aircraft while it was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The UAE Attorney General has formally described the incident as an attempted terrorist act. Investigators are also examining al Hammami’s past after reports emerged that he had previously been removed from flying duties in Oman over concerns about extremist views and that digital material linked to him contained extremist content. No formal sentence has been announced and investigators are still examining whether he acted alone or had links to any wider extremist organization.