Omani co-pilot's 9/11-style plot foiled; Indian captain regains control after midair attack

tamil.oneindia.com (Tamil) —

An Omani co-pilot on a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv allegedly attempted to seize control of the aircraft and crash it, but the Indian pilot thwarted the plot, leading to the co-pilot's arrest. The incident occurred on September 30th on a Boeing 737 carrying 180 people. The co-pilot, Al Hammami, attacked Captain Smith Machar, then tried to disable the autopilot and shut down the engines, causing the plane to drop 16,000 feet before the captain regained control. The plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia, where Hammami was arrested. Investigators suspect he planned a 9/11-style attack on a Tel Aviv building, and Israeli authorities are questioning how he was cleared to fly.


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