ABU DHABI | The United Arab Emirates has formally described the cockpit assault aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 as an attempted terrorist attack, saying the Omani co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe and tried to take control of the aircraft during its flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said on Saturday that investigators had established that the co-pilot began carrying out a plan during the flight. The investigation remains active, with authorities examining the suspect’s motive, possible connections and whether others were involved. Technical examinations and analysis of physical and digital evidence are also continuing, according to the Emirates News Agency.
The co-pilot has been identified by sources familiar with the investigation as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national. UAE authorities have not independently confirmed his identity publicly. Oman has also not issued a public statement on the case, according to Reuters and AP.
The latest findings provide the clearest official account so far of what happened inside the cockpit on September 30.
Flight FZ1073 was carrying more than 170 passengers and crew, most of them Israeli nationals, when the aircraft suddenly entered a steep descent over Saudi Arabia. Flight-tracking data cited by Reuters showed the Boeing 737 dropped about 16,625 feet in just over 30 seconds.
During the descent, the co-pilot attacked Machchhar inside the cockpit with the aircraft’s emergency crash axe and attempted to take control of the flight controls, according to the UAE attorney general. The captain, despite suffering serious injuries, managed to open the cockpit door. Passengers and crew then entered the cockpit and helped restrain the co-pilot.
A reserve Flydubai pilot who was among the passengers took control of the aircraft, which was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The aircraft landed safely, while the injured captain and the co-pilot were later transferred to the United Arab Emirates.
The incident has also raised questions about the co-pilot’s previous aviation history and how he was cleared to work for Flydubai.
AP reported that a regional official and another person familiar with the investigation said al-Hammami had previously been barred from flying by Oman because of concerns over alleged extremist views. He was reportedly transferred to an administrative position at Oman Air before later being hired by Flydubai. The sources did not provide details of the alleged views or explain the circumstances surrounding the decision.
AP also reported that the co-pilot underwent standard security checks before joining Flydubai, according to a Gulf diplomat familiar with the matter. The diplomat said those checks appeared to have focused on criminal convictions rather than deeper examination of possible radicalization. That account has not been publicly confirmed by Flydubai or Oman. Flydubai said it could not comment beyond its official statements while the investigation was continuing.
The co-pilot’s previous employment and training are also being examined. Royal Air Maroc told AP that he completed a three-month theoretical training program with the airline in 2025 but was not selected for employment afterward. Buckinghamshire New University in England confirmed that a person of the same name completed a distance-learning aviation management course and did not undertake pilot training there.
There have also been reports concerning deleted social-media material allegedly connected to al-Hammami. AP said his Instagram account was active until the day of the flight and was subsequently deleted. Other reports have cited material appearing on accounts attributed to him, but these details have not been independently established by UAE authorities as evidence of a motive.
Questions have likewise emerged over how an Omani national came to serve as co-pilot on a flight to Israel. Israel and Oman do not have formal diplomatic relations. Reuters reported that Israeli officials are participating in the UAE-led investigation and that Israeli investigators were expected to question the co-pilot after his transfer to the UAE.
Importantly, no full transcript or official public report of that questioning has been released. Reports that al-Hammami admitted an intention to crash the aircraft or disclosed a specific motive therefore remain unverified publicly and should not be presented as established findings.
The UAE attorney general said the final investigation will determine the full circumstances, motives and any connections associated with the incident. The authorities have said the results will be released after the necessary investigative procedures are completed.
The case has also renewed scrutiny of cockpit security and pilot vetting. Under UAE aviation law, the country has jurisdiction over offenses committed aboard aircraft registered in the UAE, including in circumstances where the aircraft is outside UAE territory.
For now, the central questions remain how the co-pilot passed the security and employment checks required to serve on the flight, whether his previous concerns were communicated to other aviation authorities, and whether the attack was carried out alone or involved other people. The UAE investigation is continuing.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
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- Venus L Peñaflor
