SDJW staff report
The answers to some mysteries enveloping the attempted hijacking of a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Israel were revealed on Saturday, but not the biggest mystery of all.
The Omani copilot who attempted to assassinate pilot Smit Machchhar and take the flight down was identified as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani who had been barred from piloting his own country’s airline because of his extreme Islamist views.
Oman and Israel do not have diplomatic relations, so Hammami should not have been assigned to the FlyDubai flight because of an agreement foreign carriers have with Israel not to schedule any flight personnel from countries lacking such an agreement with Israel,
Another mystery answered by Western and Gulf diplomats on Saturday was the type of weapon Hamammi used to repeatedly stab Machchhar.
It was the crash ax that most passenger planes carry in their cockpits in the event of a crash from which the crew has to chop their way out of the cockpit.
Also, the number of people the plane was carrying was recalculated to 182, up from 174.
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The sixth man arrested by British police in a supposed plot against RAF Fairford has been released on bail, the same as the five men who preceded him. Police said terms of the bail are very stringent and the investigation continues. RAF Fairford is home base to American bombers that pounded Iran earlier this year. Although not identified by name, the sixth man is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Iran, authorities said.
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Compiled by the staff of San Diego Jewish World.