New investigative findings made public this week show the Omani co-pilot who attacked his captain with a crash axe mid-flight on Sept. 30 wasn't just having a breakdown — he was trying to get clearance to approach Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport and crash the jet into a building or another aircraft there, according to Fox News.
Why it matters: Roughly 174 people, nearly all of them Israeli, were aboard FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 when the attack began. Only a wounded captain's quick action and passengers physically stepping in stopped a commercial airliner from being turned into a weapon aimed at one of Israel's most sensitive pieces of infrastructure — and investigators are now racing to determine whether the attacker acted alone or was directed by someone else.
Driving the news:
On Sept. 30, Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, 29, attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe aboard FlyDubai Flight FZ1073, flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with about 174 passengers aboard, nearly all Israeli, per Breitbart.
The plane plunged more than 16,000 feet in roughly 30 seconds before the wounded captain forced the cockpit door open; passengers then subdued al-Hammami while off-duty pilots took over and landed the jet safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
UAE investigators said this week al-Hammami intended to get clearance to approach Ben Gurion Airport, then crash the aircraft into a building or another plane there, per Fox News.
Al-Hammami had been flagged as a security risk by Oman Air back in 2024 after extremist materials were found during his training; he was barred from flying but kept on in an administrative role. He reportedly spent significant time in Syria, where officials say he became radicalized, per Breitbart.
He was transferred from Saudi custody to the UAE last week and is cooperating with investigators.
By the numbers:
174 — passengers and crew aboard the flight, almost all of them Israeli.
16,000+ feet — how far the plane dropped in roughly 30 seconds during the struggle for the controls.
29 — al-Hammami's age.
2024 — the year Oman Air first flagged him as a security risk.
What they're saying: “The attacker underwent Islamist radicalization. He came to crash the plane along its passengers,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, adding, “We are clarifying right now if he was sent. And whoever sent him will pay a heavy price,” per Breitbart. UAE diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash, addressing the wounded captain's actions, called the incident a “dangerous terrorist act” and said Machchhar “embodied the true meaning of courage and responsibility.”
What's next:
The UAE's Public Prosecution says it will announce final investigation results once its review is complete.
Israeli officials are pursuing whether al-Hammami was directed by an outside actor, per Netanyahu's comments.
FlyDubai has suspended its Dubai-Tel Aviv route pending the outcome of the investigation.
The bottom line: What first looked like a bizarre mid-air scuffle is now being treated as a foiled act of terrorism against Israel — and the focus has shifted from what happened in the cockpit to who, if anyone, sent the man who tried to crash the plane.
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