A Flydubai co-pilot, accused of attempting a mid-flight terrorist act on a Tel Aviv-bound plane, attacked the captain with a crash axe.
Key Points
- Flydubai co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami 'attempted a terrorist act' on flight FZ1073 to Tel Aviv, attacking Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe and trying to seize control.
- The incident caused the jet to plunge 16,000 feet, but Captain Machchhar, despite serious injuries, fought back, allowing others to overpower the co-pilot.
- The aircraft made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with all 180 occupants disembarking safely.
- Al-Hammami had a history of extremist concerns, including visits to radical websites and a prior ban from flying in Oman due to a stay in Syria.
- He was hired by Flydubai without formal background vetting through the Omani government, raising questions about security protocols.
A Flydubai co-pilot identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami "attempted to carry out a terrorist act" during a flight earlier in the week, deploying a cockpit crash axe against Captain Smit Machchhar, United Arab Emirates’ Attorney General Counsellor Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said in a statement.
The attacker aboard Wednesday’s flight FZ1073 bound for Tel Aviv sought to seize command of the aircraft's piloting instruments, as stated by the country's top prosecutor on Saturday.
Ongoing Investigation and Security Concerns
An official inquiry is currently active "to uncover all the circumstances of the incident, its motives, and related connections, in addition to completing technical examinations and examining physical and digital evidence".
The conclusive findings will be made public immediately once all mandatory legal and administrative steps have successfully concluded, the statement said.
A crash axe is a standard emergency implement maintained inside aircraft flight decks to assist aviators in cutting through fuselage materials during critical situations.
Examinations into the security breach aboard the Flydubai service confirmed that the co-pilot initiated his offensive whilst airborne, striking the captain within the flight deck using the emergency tool while attempting to commandeer the vessel, as detailed by the Emirati state news agency WAM.
Rigorous technical evaluations alongside the thorough assessment of tangible and digital clues remain ongoing to establish the complete context and underlying drivers behind the event, with final disclosures promised upon the conclusion of all requisite procedures.
Co-Pilot's Background and Incident Details
Building on these ongoing investigations, international media reports have shed light on al-Hammami's background.
According to sources cited by CBS News and Al Arabiya English, he had previously undergone pilot training with Oman Air, where government surveillance detected visits to radical websites.
This prompted his reassignment to desk duties before he resigned around 2024, having earlier been barred from flying in Oman over extremist concerns linked to a prior stay in Syria.
After relocating to Dubai, al-Hammami was hired by Flydubai without formal background vetting through the Omani government.
Meanwhile, CNN reported that his LinkedIn profile featured posts published roughly nine hours after the incident, containing cockpit footage of an El Al aircraft alongside imagery of Al-Qaeda figures like Ayman al-Zawahiri, with career records pointing to tenures with Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc.
The security breach occurred on September 30, raising intense scrutiny over whether the assault was a deliberate terror plot to crash the aircraft.
The violent struggle caused the jet to plunge roughly 16,000 feet in two minutes during an emergency hijacking alert.
Despite sustaining serious injuries, Captain Machchhar fought back and unlocked the cockpit entrance, allowing crew members, passengers and two off-duty pilots to rush in, overpower al-Hammami and stabilise the aircraft ahead of an unscheduled emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where all 180 occupants safely disembarked.
