Two Maldivian pilots employed by flydubai were detained by UAE police on 3 October, as authorities widened an investigation into an alleged attempt to hijack a flight, according to Maldivian media reports.
The Maldivian news portal Adhadhu reported that the Maldivian Embassy in the UAE informed the pilots’ families of the detention. Maldivian authorities declined to comment, and the UAE has released no official details of the allegations against the two men.
The investigation concerns flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which carried 174 passengers and crew on 30 September. The UAE has described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack. It has accused flydubai co-pilot Hammam al-Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani national, of attacking Captain Smit Machchhar with an axe. Crew and passengers overpowered him, and the aircraft landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The Mihaaru newspaper reported that the two pilots are believed to have interacted with al-Hammami at work and lived in the same building. Authorities have not confirmed any link.
The UAE Attorney General has said the investigation is continuing with regional security agencies. India’s National Investigation Agency has also registered a case.
