Flydubai co-pilot who 'attacked pilot with axe in suspected terrorist attack' pictured
- On Wednesday, Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv experienced an in-flight security breach when the co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a cockpit crash axe, causing the aircraft to plunge roughly 16,000 feet over Saudi Arabia.
- The suspect, identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, had been barred from flying in Oman over extremist concerns before relocating to Dubai, where Flydubai hired him without formal background vetting through the Omani government.
- Despite severe injuries, Machchhar told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: "I was acting for my own life, but at the same time, I knew I couldn't let all of them die." Passengers and crew subdued the attacker; reserve pilots landed safely at Tabuk with all 180 occupants.
- United Arab Emirates Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi announced Saturday that investigations found the co-pilot "attempted to carry out a terrorist attack," while UAE senior diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash called it a "dangerous terrorist act" Friday.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Friday that anyone directing the attack would pay a "heavy price," claiming the co-pilot underwent "Islamist radicalization" without providing evidence; security agencies from multiple countries are investigating whether al-Hammami acted alone or had extremist affiliations.
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Co-Pilot Used Crash Axe in Attempted Terrorist Attack on Israel-Bound Flight, UAE Says
A FlyDubai plane, carrying passengers who were on another FlyDubai that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, arrives at the Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Sept. 30, 2026. (Ammar Awad /Reuters/File Photo)
The attack on the pilot aboard the Flydubai aircraft from Dubai to Tel Aviv was a terrorist attack, reported today by UAE's Attorney General, Hamid Saif al-Shamsi, and reported by WAM.
UAE says Flydubai co-pilot attempted ‘terrorist act’ with cockpit axe
ABU DHABI — A UAE investigation into the violent incident aboard a Flydubai flight earlier this week has found that the co-pilot attempted to carry out a “terrorist act” by attacking the captain with a cockpit axe and trying to seize control of the aircraft, the country’s attorney general said.UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al-Shamsi said the co-pilot involved in Wednesday’s incident used the axe — an emergency tool kept in the cockpit — to att…
The co-pilot, who is still detained in Emirates, was identified by various means as Omani Hamam al-Hammami.
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