A FlyDubai co-pilot accused of attacking his captain with an emergency axe and trying to seize control of an Israel-bound aircraft had previously been grounded by Oman over concerns about extremist views, according to reports, raising new questions about how he was later cleared to fly the sensitive Dubai-Tel Aviv route.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
New details about the attempted takeover of FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 are intensifying scrutiny of airline security after reports revealed that the co-pilot accused of trying to bring down the aircraft had previously been barred from flying in Oman over concerns about radical ideological views.
United Arab Emirates Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said Saturday that investigators have determined the co-pilot attempted to carry out a terrorist act aboard the Sept. 30 flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Al Shamsi said the suspect attacked the captain inside the cockpit with an emergency crash axe and attempted to seize the aircraft’s controls. The UAE investigation remains active as authorities examine his motives, digital evidence and possible connections to other people or groups.
The suspect has been identified by multiple people familiar with the investigation as 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami. The Wall Street Journal reported that Oman had previously prohibited al-Hammami from flying because authorities were concerned that he had adopted radical ideological views. Despite that action, he was subsequently hired by UAE-based FlyDubai and assigned to a route serving Israel.
ABC News reported that al-Hammami had been working as a co-pilot trainee for Oman Air in 2024 when extremist materials were allegedly discovered in his possession. According to officials cited by the network, Oman Air suspended him from flying but allowed him to remain with the carrier in an administrative role.
Investigators are now trying to determine how that earlier security concern was handled, whether it was communicated outside Oman and how al-Hammami later passed the screening necessary to become a FlyDubai first officer.
ABC reported that al-Hammami, now in UAE custody, is cooperating with investigators and has indicated that he intended to crash the Boeing 737 in Israel. UAE authorities have not yet released their final findings regarding whether he acted alone or received assistance or direction.
Flight FZ1073 departed Dubai carrying 182 people and was headed to Tel Aviv when the cockpit attack began. The aircraft entered a rapid descent as Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, struggled with his co-pilot. Machchhar suffered serious injuries but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and other crew members to intervene.
Passengers restrained the alleged attacker while additional FlyDubai pilots who were traveling aboard the aircraft helped stabilize the plane and assume control. The flight was diverted west and made an emergency landing at Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Flight-tracking data later showed the aircraft had been cruising near 34,000 feet before suddenly losing more than 17,000 feet during the crisis. The plane transmitted emergency transponder codes associated first with a general emergency and later with unlawful interference before turning toward Saudi Arabia.
The actions of Machchhar, passengers and off-duty crew members have since drawn praise from aviation officials in the UAE. The country’s General Civil Aviation Authority said their rapid intervention prevented more serious consequences and confirmed that Machchhar had returned to the UAE for medical treatment.
Questions about al-Hammami’s background widened Friday after Al Arabiya English reported that he had spent substantial periods outside Oman.
Sources separately told the network that al-Hammami had previously spent time in Syria and had been influenced there by extremist ideology. Those assertions remain part of the broader investigation and have not yet been detailed in the UAE’s final official findings.
The UAE began formally assembling its case on Thursday, when Attorney General Al Shamsi ordered a specialized team of public prosecutors to investigate the incident in coordination with the country’s civil aviation authorities.
“The investigation includes examining all circumstances and motives surrounding the incident, including any possible connection to terrorist activity or intent, and whether it involved prior planning or direction,” the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on X.
“The UAE also expressed its appreciation to the Saudi authorities for their cooperation and handling of the incident.
“The UAE stressed the importance of relying on information and statements issued by official sources and avoiding the circulation of speculation or unverified information until the investigation is completed and its findings are announced.”
The UAE’s official news agency subsequently said investigators had concluded that the co-pilot had begun carrying out a planned terrorist attack by assaulting Machchhar with the crash axe and attempting to take over the flight controls. Authorities stressed that work is continuing to determine the full motive and whether any outside connections existed.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, became one of the first senior Emirati officials to publicly characterize the episode as terrorism. Gargash called what happened a “dangerous terrorist act,” according to Al Arabiya English. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Gargash and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both described the attack as terrorism Friday.
Netanyahu said Israeli investigators believe the suspect had undergone “Islamist radicalization” and intended to destroy the aircraft.
“As time passes, the picture is becoming clearer. Yaniv and his heroic companions prevented a disaster on the scale of 9/11,” Netanyahu said in a post on X.
“The attacker underwent Islamist radicalization. He intended to crash the plane with all its passengers on board.
“We are now investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”
Israel has not publicly produced evidence establishing that al-Hammami was directed by another government, terrorist organization or individual. The UAE investigation likewise remains focused on whether there was outside planning or direction.
The investigation is also exposing a potential breakdown in international aviation vetting.
Netanyahu said Israel has longstanding arrangements intended to prevent pilots who are citizens of countries without diplomatic relations with Israel from operating flights into the country. Oman does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Israel, while the United Arab Emirates established relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020.
“Obviously, there was a loophole here. And we’re taking care of that,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli officials have since said the country intends to strengthen advance vetting of flight crews operating incoming international services. Aviation-security specialists have noted that Israel generally depends on foreign airlines and national regulators to conduct employee screening, meaning any breakdown in information-sharing about a pilot can create vulnerabilities even when passenger security is stringent.
The reported Oman Air security action therefore has become central to the investigation.
It remains unclear whether Oman Air or Omani authorities formally notified FlyDubai, UAE regulators or international aviation databases about the concerns that led to al-Hammami’s removal from flight duties. Neither Oman Air nor the Omani Embassy immediately responded to ABC News requests for comment about the reported 2024 suspension.
FlyDubai has said it is cooperating with investigators and temporarily suspended service to Tel Aviv until further notice. The airline said it would not comment on unresolved details while the official inquiry remains underway.
The attack has renewed attention to a longstanding aviation-security problem: the threat posed by someone who already has authorized access to an aircraft.
Commercial aviation security systems have been heavily reinforced since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, particularly through hardened cockpit doors and extensive passenger screening. Those protections are more complicated when the potential attacker is a pilot with legitimate access to the flight deck.
The UAE’s statement that a standard emergency crash axe was used adds another dimension. Such equipment is carried aboard commercial aircraft for emergencies and can be used to cut through panels or other material during fires or accidents, meaning it would not necessarily have been smuggled through airport security by the suspect.
Investigators are examining al-Hammami’s electronic devices, communications, travel history and background as they attempt to determine when the alleged plan developed and whether anyone else knew about it.
The investigation involves the UAE as the country where the aircraft is registered, along with Saudi Arabia, where it landed, and Israel, its intended destination. U.S. and Omani officials have also been involved in efforts to determine a motive and reconstruct the suspect’s history.
The UAE has jurisdiction under its own law because the aircraft is registered in the Emirates and flies the country’s flag, meaning UAE criminal law applies to offenses committed aboard the aircraft even outside Emirati territory.
The central unanswered question is now not only why the attack occurred, but how a pilot reportedly considered a security concern by one Gulf country was subsequently able to gain employment with another carrier and fly one of the region’s most security-sensitive international routes.
Investigators have not yet announced whether the reported lapse involved incomplete information-sharing, a failure in airline vetting or some other breakdown.
For the 182 people aboard Flight FZ1073, the consequences were narrowly avoided when the injured captain got the cockpit open and passengers and crew intervened.
For aviation authorities, the near-disaster has now become a broader examination of insider security, international vetting and whether warning information about flight crews is being shared quickly enough to prevent a similar incident.
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