DUBAI: Flydubai played down the possibility that terrorism caused the crash of one of its airliners in Russia Saturday, killing all 62 people on board.
The Dubai-based airline’s CEO Ghaith Al-Ghaith described such a suggestion as “speculation.”
He told a news conference in Dubai that the Cypriot pilot and Spanish co-pilot each had nearly 6,000 hours of flying experience.
The five other crew members were from Spain, Russia, the Seychelles, Colombia and Kyrgyzstan, he said.
“The aircraft was checked on Jan. 21,” Al-Ghaith added.
“We do not yet know all the details of the incident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish precisely what happened,” he said in statement.
The Boeing 737, which came from Dubai, was making its second attempt to land when it missed the runway in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, erupting in a fireball.
Al-Ghaith said officials from the UAE civil aviation authorities and flydubai were going to Russia to join the investigation.
Asked if they would include explosive experts, civil aviation official Ismail Al-Hosani told the same news conference: “No, there is nothing we said about (a) bomb.”
Cyprus President Nicos Anasta-siades named the pilot as Aristos Socratous, expressing his “shock and deep sorrow” over the crash.
Flydubai rejects terror link to crash
Flydubai rejects terror link to crash
Australia police detain 7 men suspected to have ideological links to Bondi Beach gunmen
- Government to launch gun buyback scheme in bid to prevent further violence
- Prime minister announces ‘day of reflection’ one week after attack
SYDNEY: Australian police said that seven men detained in Sydney’s southwest on Thursday had ideological connections to the two gunmen who allegedly fired at hundreds celebrating Hanukkah in Bondi Beach, killing 15 people.
“We don’t have definitive links between the individuals who committed these atrocities on Sunday and this yesterday apart from potential commonality in some thinking, but no associations at this stage,” New South Wales state Police Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson told ABC Radio on Friday.
Investigations were at an initial stage, Hudson said, adding one of the locations the group was planning to visit was Bondi.
Amid an outcry over the latest gun violence, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that the government will launch a national gun buyback scheme to encourage civilians to get rid of their guns.
“We expect hundreds of thousands of firearms will be collected and destroyed through this scheme,” Albanese told a news conference.
Albanese also said Australia will hold a national “day of reflection” one week after the mass shooting.
“This day is about standing with the Jewish community, wrapping our arms around them, and all Australians sharing their grief,” Albanese said as he declared Australia would honor the attack’s 15 victims on Sunday, December 21.
