UAE says the flydubai co-pilot used a cockpit crash axe in the attack

The big picture: Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, the UAE prosecutor general, said investigators have concluded that the attack on the Dubai to Tel Aviv flight was planned. State news agency WAM carried the statement.

• "Investigations into the incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 found that the co-pilot had attempted to carry out a terrorist attack," al-Shamsi said.

Zoom in: The weapon was a crash axe, a tool already stored in the cockpit for emergencies such as fires, which answers the question investigators had been chasing all week: how a blade reached the flight deck.

The backstory: The Wall Street Journal reported that Oman had barred the co-pilot from flying over concerns he had adopted extremist views, after which he moved to an administrative job at Oman Air before flydubai hired him, per The Guardian.

• Media reports name him as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national. A Gulf diplomat told the Associated Press that investigators are establishing whether he acted alone or had ties to extremist groups.

By the numbers: The aircraft carried 182 people and plunged 16,625 feet in just over 30 seconds, a descent violent enough to rip away part of the rudder, The Guardian reported.

• Passengers and crew subdued the attacker, a second pair of pilots recovered the aircraft, and the flight diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was arrested and handed to the UAE.

What's next: Al-Shamsi said the inquiry continues into motives, connections and digital evidence, with final results to follow. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is examining whether anyone directed the attack.

Why it matters: Airline vetting and cockpit tool storage are now the live questions for every carrier. Flydubai has suspended its Israel route and El Al cancelled its own flights, stranding travelers in the UAE until repatriation flights began Friday.