Investigators say Flydubai co-pilot planned attack on Tel Aviv-bound flight

Investigators allege that Flydubai co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami planned to take over a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight and crash it at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. The reports, cited by India Today, ABC News Australia and NDTV, say the Omani national attacked Captain Smit Machchhar in the cockpit before attempting to seize control of the aircraft. The precise number of people aboard differs between reports.

India Today and ABC News Australia said 174 passengers or people were on the flight, while the South China Morning Post and DW reported 182 people, including four pilots. All accounts agree that the aircraft was carrying a large number of passengers and was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. According to the accounts attributed to Israeli media, al-Hammami intended to continue the flight normally before crashing into Ben Gurion Airport or another aircraft.

He allegedly waited until the plane was over Jordan before attacking, a decision investigators believe was intended to avoid raising an alarm and leave time to carry out the plan. ABC reported that one account said he might have targeted a US military base in Jordan if he could not reach Israel. The incident occurred on September 30.

India Today reported that al-Hammami attacked Machchhar with a crash axe and that the Boeing 737 MAX 8 descended from about 36,000 feet to nearly 17,000 feet in roughly two minutes. The South China Morning Post said the aircraft’s rudder was partly torn away during the extreme descent. Machchhar, who was seriously wounded, managed to unlock the cockpit door, according to the reports.

Crew members and passengers then entered, overpowered the co-pilot and helped stabilise the aircraft. Two off-duty pilots aboard the flight took control before the emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Machchhar is receiving treatment and has been described by India Today as out of danger.

The United Arab Emirates is leading the investigation, and al-Hammami is under arrest and being questioned there. The UAE prosecutor general has described the incident as a terrorist attack. No formal sentence has been announced, although Israeli media cited by India Today reported that he could face the death penalty in the UAE.

The co-pilot’s earlier history is now a central focus. The South China Morning Post and DW cited unnamed officials or sources who said Oman had barred him from flying because of concerns about extremist views and moved him to an administrative role at Oman Air. The reports do not establish whether those concerns were shared with Flydubai or other authorities.

Flydubai said it could not comment beyond its official statements, while Oman’s government and Oman Air had not publicly responded. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said al-Hammami had undergone Islamist radicalisation or indoctrination, but the reports provide no public evidence supporting that assertion. Authorities are also examining whether he acted alone or had links to an extremist group.

ABC reported that Australian agencies are investigating possible connections because al-Hammami studied engineering at RMIT between 2015 and 2017. Netanyahu has ordered a review of security arrangements for foreign civil aviation to Israel, including how an Omani national came to operate a flight to a country with which Oman has no diplomatic relations.