Flydubai co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami faces the death penalty in the United Arab Emirates after attempting to carry out a terrorist attack on a flight bound for Israel by attacking the aircraft commander with a cockpit axe.
Prosecuting authorities in Abu Dhabi intend to seek the maximum statutory penalty against the pilot following details uncovered in an investigation reported by the German newspaper Bild.
According to sources cited by the publication, al-Hammami had initially planned to cause a catastrophic plane crash earlier in July. However, he decided to alter his plans and abort that initial attempt after discovering that a personal friend of his was travelling on board the flight as a passenger.
The assault took place inside the cockpit when al-Hammami seized an aviation axe stored in the flight deck. He repeatedly struck the captain of the aircraft, inflicting severe wounds that almost left the senior pilot permanently disabled.
Judicial proceedings in Abu Dhabi
The legal proceedings are being directed by federal authorities in Abu Dhabi, which serves as the capital city and judicial centre of the United Arab Emirates. Capital punishment remains the maximum sentence available under United Arab Emirates law and is reserved for grave crimes such as terrorism and actions that threaten state security.
Flydubai, legally known as the Dubai Aviation Corporation, is a government-owned low-cost airline founded by the government of Dubai in 2008. Operating out of its primary hub at Dubai International Airport, the carrier maintains scheduled flights to over one hundred destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
International aviation safety standards require commercial passenger airliners to carry an emergency crash axe inside the flight deck compartment. Civil aviation regulations mandate these safety tools to allow flight crews to cut through electrical panels, clear structural wreckage, or create escape routes during cabin fires or emergency landings.
Officials in Abu Dhabi are expected to move forward with judicial procedures to hand down the maximum punishment prescribed by national law.
