UAE police have arrested two Maldivian pilots employed by flydubai in connection with an alleged plot by an Omani co-pilot to hijack and crash a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, in which Indian Captain Smit Machchhar was injured while resisting the suspected attack, according to media reports.
The two pilots were taken into custody on October 3, and their families have been formally informed of their detention by the Maldivian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates, Maldivian news portal Adhadhu reported. Maldivian authorities have declined to comment on the arrests, it said.
UAE authorities have not released official details about the allegations against the detained pilots or their possible involvement in the incident.
The arrests came amid an investigation into the September 30 incident involving flydubai co-pilot Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national accused of attacking Machchhar with an axe in an alleged attempt to take control of the aircraft and carry out a "terrorist attack".
According to Male-based Mihaaru newspaper, the two pilots are believed to have interacted with al-Hammami at their workplace and lived in the same building as him. However, authorities have not officially disclosed the nature of their alleged links to the incident or the evidence against them.
The two are among six Maldivian nationals employed as flydubai pilots and are reportedly the airline's most recent recruits from the Maldives, news portal edition.mv reported.
Flight FZ1073, carrying 174 passengers and crew members, was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the alleged attack took place. The co-pilot allegedly stabbed Machchhar in an attempt to hijack and crash the aircraft. Despite being seriously injured, the captain resisted the attacker and unlocked the cockpit door, allowing crew members and passengers to rush in, overpower the co-pilot and help stabilise the aircraft.
The plane made an emergency landing at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.
The UAE identified the accused co-pilot as 29-year-old al-Hammami and said he was suspected of supporting extremist ideologies. Omani authorities had previously barred him from obtaining a pilot's licence, according to the UAE authorities.
Investigators are examining how al-Hammami was recruited by flydubai despite the reported restriction and the motive behind the alleged plot.
The UAE Attorney General has said a comprehensive investigation is underway in coordination with regional security agencies to establish the circumstances of the incident and determine whether the accused had links with other individuals or groups.
India's anti-terror National Investigation Agency (NIA) last week registered a case to probe and unearth the larger conspiracy behind the mid-air attack on Machchhar. The case was registered under the Anti-Hijacking Act and the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) earlier said Machchhar was responding well to treatment following an operation at a hospital in Abu Dhabi. The Indian Embassy in the UAE is in regular contact with his family, doctors, hospital officials and local authorities to monitor his condition.