A Flydubai co-pilot used a crash axe to attack the flight captain aboard a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv passenger jet on Wednesday, the UAE's prosecutor general confirmed on Saturday, formally characterizing the incident as an attempted terrorist act — and setting off a sweeping criminal investigation that spans at least three countries. [1][2]
What Happened Aboard Flight FZ1073
Flight FZ1073 departed Dubai International Airport carrying 174 passengers and was roughly two and a half hours into its journey when the crisis began. [2] The unnamed co-pilot — identified by multiple international media outlets, though not officially confirmed, as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami — attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit using a crash axe, a tool standard to cockpit equipment and intended for use in structural emergencies. [1][2]
The aircraft plunged approximately 17,000 feet before being brought back under control. [1] Passengers described a terrifying freefall. "Suddenly the aeroplane started to, like a rollercoaster, to drop down [with] a massive G-force," passenger Almog Itali told the BBC. "It was falling down for 20 or 30 seconds, rapidly, and then balanced, and then started once again to fall down." [2]
The plane transmitted a squawk 7700 general emergency code before switching to squawk 7500 — the internationally recognized signal for unlawful interference, or hijacking. [2]
How Passengers and Crew Stopped the Attack
Despite his injuries, Captain Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door from the inside. "I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside," he said, allowing passengers to enter. [2] Israeli President Isaac Herzog credited an Israeli woman, Tali Manes, with first raising the alarm after hearing a commotion from the cockpit. [2]
Her husband Zvika, along with three other men — Yaniv Hayun, Dr. Shota Musayev, and Asaf Rajuan — entered the cockpit. Hayun described the attacker as "trying to destroy the instruments in order to disable the plane." [2] He then put the attacker in a chokehold and dragged him out of the cockpit while other passengers helped pin him down. [2]
Two reserve pilots subsequently took control of the aircraft and landed it safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia. [1]
The Attacker's Background and Alleged Motive
Saudi authorities arrested the co-pilot and handed him over to the UAE, which is leading the investigation. [1] UAE Prosecutor General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi confirmed that the attacker "attempted to carry out a terrorist act" and tried to seize the aircraft's flight controls, according to state news agency WAM. [1][2] Al-Shamsi said investigators are working "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." [1]
The weapon itself became a significant focus for investigators, given the heightened security typically applied to flights on the Dubai-Tel Aviv route. Early passenger accounts had suggested a knife was used; the confirmation that it was a crash axe — kept inside the cockpit — raised immediate questions about how the attacker gained access to it. [2]
Multiple outlets including Reuters, CNN, and The New York Times identified the attacker as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, though the UAE has not officially confirmed the name. [2] US media reported that while working at Oman Air, al-Hammami was removed from flight training due to concerns about radical views and reassigned to a different role. [2] He later completed a three-year distance-learning degree in aviation management from Buckinghamshire New University in the UK, graduating in 2023; the university confirmed he received no pilot training there. [2]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker, after being subdued, called out to crew members "Kill me, kill me!" Netanyahu told Fox News: "So, it's clear that he was suicidal… It looks very likely that he was going to down the plane." [2] Netanyahu also alleged the attacker "underwent Islamist radical indoctrination" and said Israel was investigating whether he had acted under anyone's direction, warning that anyone found to be involved would pay a "heavy price." [1][2]
Aftermath and Diplomatic Fallout
Captain Machchhar, who was stabbed during the attack, was transported to a nearby hospital before being airlifted to Abu Dhabi. The Indian embassy in the UAE said he was in "good health and recovering well." Machchhar himself said: "I am confident that the recovery will be there and I will become fit and healthy again." [2]
Flydubai suspended all flights on its Israel route following the incident, and Israeli carrier El Al cancelled its scheduled flights, leaving a number of Israelis stranded in the UAE. [1] The first repatriation flight, operated by Israeli carrier Arkia, arrived at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport from Dubai at 22:00 GMT on Friday. [1]
Netanyahu compared the outcome to a near-catastrophe, telling CNN that the injured pilot, passengers, and reserve crew "managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster." [2]
What to Watch Next
The UAE's prosecutor general has said final results of the investigation will be announced once all necessary procedures are completed. [1] Key outstanding questions include: whether the attacker acted alone or was directed by an external network; how a crash axe inside a secured cockpit became the weapon of choice; and whether the attacker's reported removal from Oman Air flight training over radical views was ever flagged to aviation or intelligence authorities. Israel's parallel inquiry into possible external direction adds another layer of scrutiny. The resumption of Flydubai's Tel Aviv route — and the security protocols that will govern it — will be closely watched by the aviation industry.
