The United Arab Emirates stated that the Omani co-pilot on a Flydubai Tel Aviv-bound flight attacked the captain with the cockpit's crash axe, with 182 people on board at the time. The statement comes as the investigation continues into the September 30 incident in which passengers subdued the assailant and the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
The United Arab Emirates formally confirmed Saturday that the co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073 used the cockpit's crash axe to attack the captain, with 182 individuals on board at the time. The statement from the UAE Attorney General designated the September 30 attack as a terrorist act. The suspect, Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, remains in Saudi custody.
The Zioneer has been tracking the story since the incident on Wednesday, September 30, when the co-pilot allegedly stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar and attempted to crash the aircraft. Israeli passengers and crew subdued the assailant and the flight made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Early Saturday morning, reports emerged that al-Hammami was cooperating with investigators and admitted in interrogation that he intended to crash the plane on Israeli soil. By 03:06 Jerusalem, ABC News reported that al-Hammami had been suspended from Oman Air in 2024 after extremist materials were found in his possession. The Zioneer subsequently reported at 04:01 Jerusalem the identification of the suspect as Hamam al-Hammami, 29, and his cooperation with authorities. Further reports throughout the morning confirmed his prior flagging as a security risk in Oman. By 10:00 Jerusalem, the UAE Attorney General officially designated the attack as a terrorist act, and at 10:25 Jerusalem confirmed the use of the crash axe.
Israeli security officials are investigating whether al-Hammami acted alone or as part of a broader network linked to Iran, Hezbollah, or Hamas, as The Zioneer reported earlier. According to ABC and other sources, al-Hammami was restricted to administrative duties at Oman Air after being found with extremist materials; it remains unclear how he later secured a position as a co-pilot on the Israel route for Flydubai.
Authorities continue to probe his connections and whether additional individuals were involved. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
10 developments
- StrongFlydubai officially halts all flights to Tel Aviv until further notice
- StrongShin Bet investigating terrorist who attempted to hijack Flydubai flight
- DevelopingIsrael Hayom reports new details linking Flydubai hijacking suspect to Iran
- DevelopingNetanyahu directs appointment of examiner for foreign aviation security review
Source and signal
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