Flydubai Co-Pilot With Radical Ties Arrested After Attacking Pilot Mid-Flight
- A Flydubai flight en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026, made an emergency diversion to Saudi Arabia after the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain...
- Flight FZ1073 was approximately two hours out of Dubai when the Boeing 737 MAX dropped sharply in altitude.
- The aircraft suffered significant tail damage during the steep descent, losing part of its vertical stabilizer.
A Flydubai flight en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026, made an emergency diversion to Saudi Arabia after the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with a knife inside the cockpit. CNN reported that the co-pilot was identified as 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami.
Cockpit Attack and Emergency Diversion to Saudi Arabia
Flight FZ1073 was approximately two hours out of Dubai when the Boeing 737 MAX dropped sharply in altitude. The cockpit altercation left the Indian pilot, Smit Machchhar, with severe cuts to his head and hands. Machchhar managed to open the armored cockpit door despite his injuries, allowing passengers to intervene. Dr. Shota Musayev, a 47-year-old dentist who was a passenger on the flight, rushed to the front and spent nearly 50 minutes talking to the bleeding pilot to keep him conscious while other passengers restrained the attacker using headphone cables and zip ties.
The aircraft suffered significant tail damage during the steep descent, losing part of its vertical stabilizer. Two other Flydubai pilots who were on board took over the controls and landed the damaged plane safely at the international airport of Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, at 9:45 a.m. local time on September 30, 2026, after broadcasting emergency squawk codes 7700 and 7500.
Prior Dismissal and Internet Radically Disclosed
Reporting from Fox News and the Wall Street Journal revealed that Oman Air had suspended and stripped al-Hammami of his flying license in 2024 after discovering he accessed radical Islamist websites. Despite that dismissal, al-Hammami relocated to Dubai later that year and secured employment with Flydubai. Flydubai did not consult Oman Air regarding the pilot’s background during the hiring process, and it remains unclear whether Omani authorities shared their security concerns with other nations.
CNN reported that al-Hammami’s social media accounts displayed extremist content. Hours after the attack, posts appeared on his LinkedIn profile featuring Boeing 737 MAX cockpit videos that ended with imagery of former al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and suicide bomber Humam al-Balawi. An analysis by CNN of roughly 3,000 posts from his X account across 2021 and 2022 showed radical-religious and misogynistic views, including demands that his future wife wear a niqab and refrain from working.
Co-Pilot Admits Intent to Crash Aircraft in Israel
The arrested co-pilot was transferred back to the United Arab Emirates, where he is cooperating with investigators and has indicated an intention to crash the aircraft in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly praised Machchhar as a true hero who saved the lives of more than 170 people on board.
The incident triggered regional travel disruptions. Flydubai suspended all flights to and from Israel immediately following the attack, stranding more than 10,000 Israeli citizens in Dubai and other locations. While initial El Al rescue flights scheduled for Friday were delayed due to landing permits, Israeli media outlets indicated that the United Arab Emirates subsequently granted approval for repatriation flights to begin operating.
Arkia Begins Rescue Flights to Tel Aviv
Israeli media confirmed that the first rescue flight operated by Arkia departed for Tel Aviv following the initial suspension, with additional repatriation flights scheduled for the subsequent days. Meanwhile, injured pilot Smit Machchhar remains hospitalized in Saudi Arabia.