Flydubai Terrorist Identified As Radical Muslim With Bizarre Practice In Front Of Women

The Omani co-pilot terrorist accused of attempting to crash a Flydubai flight full of Israelis sat under radical Islamist teaching and was described by a colleague as a religious extremist who refused to shake hands with women.

The co-pilot, who has not been named publicly, allegedly stabbed Indian Captain Smit Machchhar aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 Wednesday as the aircraft was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 people aboard. Machchhar fought back and managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to rush in and overpower the attacker before two off-duty pilots aboard the aircraft took control and landed the plane safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

The suspect, an Omani national who had reportedly worked for Flydubai for less than a year, remains in Saudi custody as authorities investigate what prompted the attack and whether he acted alone.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that investigators had learned the co-pilot “underwent Islamist radical indoctrination.” The Israeli prime minister cautioned that it was still too early to determine whether the suspect had any connection to Iran or another outside organization, but said the indications of radicalization were becoming clearer.

A colleague of the suspect separately described behavior that appeared unusually strict even before the attack. According to Israeli journalist Yosef Yisrael, a fellow pilot characterized the man as someone whose religious observance was “out of step with his surroundings.”

The colleague reportedly said the co-pilot prayed frequently and “would not shake hands with women.” The anonymous co-worker concluded: “There is no other way to put it, we hired the services of a terrorist and nearly caused the deaths of 180 people.”

The detail has drawn attention because refusing physical contact with women can be associated with particularly hardline interpretations of Islamic religious practice. 

The revelation has also produced a dark overlap between the real-world incident and The Daily Wire’s new action film, “Run Hide Fight: Infidels.” The film’s antagonist, Ibrahim Asad Melod — a terrorist leader who takes over a college campus and attempts to impose a radical Islamist vision on the students trapped inside — refuses to shake hands with a woman at the beginning of the film. The character is portrayed as enforcing draconian Sharia law, including rules concerning women’s modesty. The film, which premiered on The Daily Wire in September, centers on a fictional campus siege led by Melod and a group of terrorists.

The real-world attempted hijacking has already prompted questions about how an Omani national came to serve as co-pilot on an Israel-bound flight, given that Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. Israel has temporarily suspended Flydubai flights and announced increased scrutiny of pilots flying into the country.

“At this early state, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation,” Flydubai said in a statement, according to CBS News.

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