The co-pilot who tried to hijack a flight bound for Israel on Wednesday used a crash ax to attack the captain in the cockpit, UAE officials said.
The co-pilot attempted to “take control of the aircraft” and carry out a “terrorist act,” UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said in a statement Saturday, published on the official Emirates News Agency.
FlyDubai Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv lost half its altitude in less than two minutes on Wednesday when the captain, Smit Machchhar, was attacked by his co-pilot in the cockpit.
Machchhar was able to open the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew members to take control of the Boeing 737 Max and make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. All the passengers were unharmed, while the pilot and co-pilot were hospitalized.
The UAE statement answers one of the questions over potential security lapses that emerged following the incident — how the co-pilot was able to access a weapon on board.
A crash ax is typically kept on planes for use during emergencies.
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