Flydubai Co-Pilot Attacked Captain, Attempted Terrorist Act on Flight

Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, in what the UAE attorney general called an attempted terrorist act.

The incident occurred approximately two-and-a-half hours after takeoff on September 30. Investigators believe al-Hammami planned to crash the Boeing 737 MAX 8, carrying over 180 passengers, into Ben Gurion Airport or a Tel Aviv tower block. He reportedly told interrogators he planned the attack before joining the airline and had previously considered crashing another flight to Israel.

The aircraft plunged about 16,000 feet before the autopilot disconnected, but the situation was brought under control. Passengers and crew overpowered al-Hammami, and the plane was safely diverted to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, from where passengers were later flown to Israel. Multiple security and vetting failures across Oman, the UAE, and Israel are being investigated, as Omani authorities had previously flagged concerns about al-Hammami's extremist views.

Australia is also investigating the co-pilot's links to the country, where he studied between 2015 and 2017. The investigation is ongoing to establish al-Hammami's motives and whether he acted alone.