The Italian daily Corriere has published an investigation providing a minute-by-minute account of the September 30 attempted hijacking of Flydubai flight FZ 1073. According to the report, Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami attacked the captain with an emergency axe, shut down both engines, and forced a dive before Israeli passengers and off-duty pilots regained control.
The Italian daily Corriere Della Sera has published a minute-by-minute reconstruction of the September 30 attempted hijacking of Flydubai flight FZ 1073, offering the most precise timeline to date. According to the Corriere investigation, at 09:15 (local time), Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami told the captain he wished to pray. At 09:20, he attacked Captain Smit Machchhar from behind with the emergency crash axe. As Machchhar, bleeding, struggled to open the cockpit door, al-Hammami disconnected the autopilot, shut down both engines, and pushed the yoke fully forward, sending the Boeing 737 into a rapid descent over the Saudi desert. At 09:22, Israeli passenger Yaniv Hiyon, who had entered the cockpit, pulled the yoke back to counter the dive. At 09:25, two off-duty pilots intervened and returned the aircraft to stable flight, preventing a catastrophe.
The Corriere account adds granular detail to an already extensively documented event. The Zioneer has previously reported — and UAE/Flydubai authorities confirmed — that al-Hammami attacked the captain with the crash axe. He confessed to investigators that he intended to crash the aircraft in Israeli territory. Digital forensics linked him to al-Qaeda imagery and footage of Israeli aircraft. Eye on Zion (Sunday 16:06 Jerusalem) described the attack as a calculated lone-wolf attempt by a radicalized Omani national who had been fired from Oman Air over extremist views.
What remains under investigation: whether al-Hammami acted entirely independently or was directed by a foreign entity. The Corriere report relies on Israeli intelligence for its assertion that his target was a Tel Aviv skyscraper; that detail has not been independently confirmed. Al-Hammami remains in custody.
24 developments
- StrongFlydubai, UAE authorities confirm co-pilot attacked captain with crash axe
- DevelopingBen-Gvir: Israel Should Seek Extradition of Flydubai Co-Pilot
- StrongFlydubai passengers tell New York Post: crew asked us to release terrorist co-pilot
- DevelopingN12 publishes cockpit footage from Flydubai flight, shows wounded pilot and passengers' arrest fears
Source and signal
- Open-source intake