UAE says Flydubai co-pilot attempted terrorist act as probe widens
Version 2: New coverage adds passenger accounts of subduing the attacker, a report that the investigation has widened into a multi-country security and intelligence probe focused on apparent vetting failures, confirmation that the suspect remains in custody in the UAE, and a differing figure for how far the aircraft descended.
In short
UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073 attacked the captain with a crash axe and tried to take control of the aircraft in an attempted terrorist act on the Sept. 30 Dubai–Tel Aviv flight. The plane landed safely at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia after crew and passengers subdued the attacker, and the captain, Smit Machchhar of India, was seriously injured. AP reported the investigation has widened into a security and intelligence probe reaching from the Middle East to New Zealand, with attention on how the suspect — named by NBC News and AP as Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami — was cleared to fly.
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The United Arab Emirates says the co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073 carried out an attempted terrorist act on Sept. 30, attacking the captain with a crash axe and trying to take control of the aircraft’s flight controls. “The co-pilot began executing his plan during the flight, attacking the captain inside the flight deck using a crash axe and attempting to take control of the aircraft’s flight controls,” UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said, in accounts carried by NBC News, CNBC and UPI. The Dubai–Tel Aviv flight landed safely at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia after crew and passengers entered the cockpit and subdued the attacker, media reports and witness accounts say. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The suspect is Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, according to NBC News, which cited sources from three agencies briefed on the investigation and a Middle East diplomat; AP also named him. Authorities have not officially released his identity. He was moved from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry said, and AP reported he remains in custody in the UAE. NBC News said his medical condition was unclear. [ 1 , 8 ]
Accounts differ in detail. FlyDubai said the flight carried 172 passengers and crew; NBC News reported 174 mostly Israeli passengers and UPI reported 170 passengers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said most of those aboard were Israeli citizens and that the attacker “tried to crash the plane,” CNBC reported. UPI said the attack came two hours into a 3.5-hour flight on a Boeing 737 MAX, that the plane made a sudden U-turn near the border with Jordan and plunged 17,000 feet in under a minute, and that the captain issued a “7500” hijacking alert. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
UPI identified the captain as Smit Machchhar of India, saying he was seriously injured and opened the cockpit door so crew and passengers, including off-duty pilots, could subdue the attacker. Machchhar said from his hospital bed that he “could sense that the aircraft was going down.” CBS News reported the jet plunged 14,000 feet in a matter of seconds and that another pilot righted the plane after passengers subdued the attacker; it interviewed passengers who described the struggle. AP reported that Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited the captain in an Abu Dhabi hospital on Friday. [ 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]
Investigators in the UAE, along with Israeli and Saudi authorities, are treating the assault as a planned terror attack, AP reported, and the focus has shifted to apparent vetting failures; AP said the probe spans from the Middle East to New Zealand. The Wall Street Journal reported the suspect had previously been banned from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views, and UPI reported Flydubai hired him. Oman Air did not immediately respond to questions about whether he had previously worked for the airline, NBC News said. UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said the region’s “struggle with extremism persists,” CNBC reported, and Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said Israeli investigators would join their Emirati counterparts, NBC News reported. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 8 ]
The Wall Street Journal published an explainer on the crash axe, saying the tool is required by regulators and intended for emergencies but puts a weapon within reach of attackers. Marco Chan, a former pilot, told The Washington Post it is meant for emergency evacuations, letting a pilot break designated parts of a plane to create an exit, UPI reported. [ 3 , 4 ]
Flydubai suspended flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, UPI reported, but as of Friday stranded Israeli passengers were beginning to make their way home. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The flight was an international service whose passengers were described as mostly Israeli, and the investigation now involves Emirati, Israeli, Saudi, Omani and Indian authorities as well as a reported thread reaching New Zealand, so findings about how the suspect reached the flight deck will be followed beyond the region. The reported earlier ban on the suspect’s flying in Oman and AP’s account that the probe has turned to apparent vetting failures raise questions about how airlines screen pilots — questions the documents raise but do not resolve.
Key facts
- UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073 attacked the captain with a crash axe and tried to take control of the aircraft’s flight controls in an attempted terrorist act. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The Sept. 30 flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv landed safely at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia after crew and passengers subdued the attacker. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 8 ]
- FlyDubai said the flight carried 172 passengers and crew; NBC News reported 174 mostly Israeli passengers and UPI reported 170 passengers. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- UPI reported the captain, Smit Machchhar of India, was seriously injured and opened the cockpit door so crew and passengers could enter and subdue the attacker. [ 3 , 8 ]
- The Wall Street Journal reported, in coverage cited by NBC News and UPI, that the suspect had previously been banned from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The suspect was moved from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi and remains in custody in the UAE, according to Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry and AP. [ 1 , 8 ]
- AP reported the investigation has widened into a security and intelligence probe spanning from the Middle East to New Zealand, with the focus shifting to apparent vetting failures. [ 8 ]
- Flydubai suspended flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, and as of Friday stranded Israeli passengers were beginning to make their way home, UPI reported. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073 attacked the captain inside the flight deck with a crash axe and attempted to take control of the flight controls in an attempted terrorist act. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The Sept. 30 flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted and landed safely at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 8 ]
- Media reports and witness accounts say passengers and crew subdued the attacker. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 8 ]
- The suspect was moved from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates and is being held in custody there, according to Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry and AP. [ 1 , 8 ]
- The Wall Street Journal reported that the suspect had previously been banned from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views, a report cited by NBC News and UPI. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The captain, Smit Machchhar of India, was seriously injured and opened the cockpit door so others could enter and subdue the attacker, UPI and AP reported. [ 3 , 8 ]
Still unclear
- How many people were aboard the flight. The documents give different figures: FlyDubai said 172 passengers and crew, NBC News reported 174 mostly Israeli passengers and UPI reported 170 passengers.
- How far and how fast the aircraft descended during the incident. UPI reported a plunge of 17,000 feet in less than a minute, while CBS News reported a plunge of 14,000 feet in a matter of seconds.
- The suspect’s identity. NBC News attributed the name Hamam al-Hammami to sources briefed on the investigation and a Middle East diplomat, and AP also named him, but the documents say authorities have not officially released his identity.
- The suspect’s motives, any links and the full circumstances of the incident. The UAE attorney general said these were still under investigation.
- The suspect’s medical condition. Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry said his health had improved, while NBC News reported his condition was unclear.
- Whether the suspect previously worked for Oman Air. NBC News reported that Oman Air did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
- Why the investigation reaches as far as New Zealand and what role that involves. AP said the probe spans from the Middle East to New Zealand but gave no detail on that element.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Saturday: NBC News reports the UAE attorney general’s statement that the co-pilot attempted a terrorist act and identifies the suspect through sources briefed on the investigation. [ 1 ]
- Saturday: CNBC reports the attorney general’s account, a post by UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that most of those aboard were Israeli citizens. [ 2 ]
- Saturday: UPI reports a sudden U-turn near the Jordanian border, a 17,000-foot descent in under a minute, the captain’s 7500 hijacking alert, and Flydubai suspending flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv. [ 3 ]
- Saturday: The Wall Street Journal publishes an explainer on the crash axe carried on many jets. [ 4 ]
- Saturday: NBC News reports new details about the co-pilot. [ 5 ]
- Sunday: CBS News airs passenger accounts from the flight, including a passenger saying “I decided that we are going to survive.” [ 6 ]
- Sunday: CBS News reports that passengers subdued the co-pilot after he tried to crash the Boeing 737 Max. [ 7 ]
- Monday: AP reports the investigation has widened into a security and intelligence probe spanning from the Middle East to New Zealand, with the focus shifting to apparent vetting failures. [ 8 ]
- Monday: CBS News publishes further passenger accounts of how they entered the cockpit and helped save the plane. [ 9 ]