Flydubai captain: co-pilot left to pray before attacking him mid-flight
Version 2: New reporting adds the co-pilot's name and the captain's detailed account of the attack, the date, route, aircraft and passenger count of the flight, its emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, the UAE prosecutor general's terrorism classification, Israeli security measures including a suspension of flydubai flights to Tel Aviv, and ABC News background on the suspect.
In short
The captain of a flydubai flight, Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, said his co-pilot asked permission to leave his seat to pray and then attacked him, according to Kommersant, which reported he described the episode in a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The flight — a Boeing 737 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September with 174 passengers — sent a distress signal and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, and the UAE prosecutor general's office treats the incident as an attempted terrorist act, Kommersant reported. Israel tightened aviation security checks and temporarily suspended flydubai flights to Tel Aviv, Kommersant said.
Why it matters
The incident prompted Israel to require data on who is at the controls before a plane enters its airspace and to suspend flydubai flights to Tel Aviv for a risk reassessment, according to Kommersant. Kommersant also reported that the UAE prosecutor general's office qualifies the case as an attempted terrorist act, indicating it is being treated as a serious security matter. The documents do not indicate how the case will proceed or what consequences follow for the airline or the suspect.
Key facts
- Indian pilot Smit Machchhar was the captain of the flydubai flight; his co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, attacked him, Kommersant reported. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- According to the captain, the co-pilot asked permission to step away to pray shortly before the attack, Kommersant reported. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The captain said that after four or five minutes he received a very strong blow to the head and that the plane then went sharply down, Kommersant reported. [ 2 ]
- The captain opened the cockpit door on his second attempt and passengers standing outside subdued the attacker, Kommersant reported. [ 2 ]
- On 30 September a flydubai Boeing 737 flew from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 passengers, sent a distress signal and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, with the crew reporting an attempt to seize the aircraft, Kommersant reported. [ 2 ]
- The UAE prosecutor general's office qualifies the incident as an attempted terrorist act, Kommersant reported. [ 2 ]
- Israel's Transport Ministry temporarily suspended flydubai flights to Tel Aviv to reassess risks, and Israeli security services must have data on who is at the controls before a plane may enter Israeli airspace, Kommersant reported. [ 2 ]
- Citing ABC News, Kommersant reported that in 2024 the suspect completed an internship as a second pilot at Oman Air. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- What the second pilot did while away from his seat, and whether he in fact prayed. The documents give his stated intention — TASS says the colleague went away to pray, Kommersant says he asked permission to step away for prayer — but do not confirm what he did.
- The exact place and time of the attack on the captain. Kommersant reports the flight departed Dubai for Tel Aviv on 30 September and later landed in Saudi Arabia, but no city is given for the emergency landing and no time is given for the attack.
- The outcome for the suspect, any charges and the condition of the captain beyond his own account. Only Kommersant's account of the flight and the captain's description are reported; no document states the suspect's status or the progress of any case.
- The detail of the suspect's earlier employment: the Kommersant text says that in 2024 he interned as a second pilot at Oman Air, but the passage is cut off. The sentence is truncated in the source text, so what followed the internship is unknown; the information is also attributed to ABC News only.
- Whether the attack was a terrorist act. Kommersant reports that the UAE prosecutor general's office treats the incident as an attempted terrorist act; no other document in the set gives a classification.
- The UAE prosecutor general's office classifies the incident as an attempted terrorist act, as reported by Kommersant. Reported by a single source so far
- Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said control of the aircraft was returned to an additional flight crew after the attacker was subdued, as reported by Kommersant. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS publishes the captain's account that his co-pilot stepped away to pray and was out of his field of view. [ 1 ]
- Kommersant publishes the captain's fuller account, including the conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu, the flight details, the terrorism classification and Israel's security measures. [ 2 ]
- RBC reports that the second pilot left his seat saying he wanted to perform a prayer before attacking the captain. [ 3 ]