The Maldivian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Thoriq Ibrahim, met with a high-ranking UAE official today at a time when two Maldivians have been detained in connection with an alleged plot to down a Flydubai aircraft.
In a post on X, Thoriq said that he met with Saeed Al Hajeri, State Minister at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to discuss "matters of mutual interest between the two countries."
However, the Ambassador did not provide any further details regarding the specifics of the meeting.
The incident occurred on September 30, during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel, when the co-pilot allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft. The co-pilot has been identified as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national.
Two Maldivian pilots employed by Flydubai were arrested in connection with the case. They were taken into custody on October 3 for what authorities described as investigative purposes. However, Adhadhu has learned that the detainees have been denied the right to legal counsel. Furthermore, Adhadhu also understand that they have not been permitted to contact their families.
The Maldivian Embassy in the UAE notified the families of the arrests on October 8. Prior to this, the UAE authorities had not disclosed any information regarding their whereabouts or status, even to the Maldivian Embassy. Embassy officials have also reportedly been denied consular access to the detainees.
