Flydubai co-pilot planned 9/11-style suicide crash into Tel Aviv airport, UAE says

The United Arab Emirates has accused a flydubai co-pilot of plotting to hijack a commercial passenger jet and crash it into Israel’s busiest airport in a suicide attack inspired by the September 11 hijackings.

The alleged plot was only foiled because the flight's Indian captain fought off the co-pilot, who had attacked him inside the cockpit with an emergency crash axe. The violent struggle over the controls sent the twin-engine jet into a terrifying 16,000-foot plunge in just 30 seconds before the captain managed to subdue his colleague and regain control of the aircraft.

The mid-air fight occurred on 30 September aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, which was on its scheduled run from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The flight ultimately made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was arrested.

According to UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, the suspect is 29-year-old Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national. State news agency WAM reported that investigators believe al-Hammami intended to smash the aircraft into a passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv to cause "the greatest possible loss of life."

What happened on flydubai flight FZ1073?

The UAE public prosecution service, which launched its formal investigation on 1 October, said the attack was highly premeditated. Al-Hammami had allegedly taken two earlier flights to Tel Aviv as a passenger to familiarise himself with the flight route and the airport's layout.

Sources close to the investigation told Reuters that al-Hammami confessed to planning the suicide attack before he was even hired by flydubai. He had previously worked for Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc before joining the Dubai-based airline in January 2026.

Sources briefed on the inquiry also told Reuters that al-Hammami had intended to hijack a previous flight to Tel Aviv but abandoned the plan. It is not entirely clear why he changed his mind on that occasion, though investigators believe it may have been because he knew someone on board that flight.

How did captain Smit Machchhar stop the attack?

The captain who saved the aircraft has been identified as Smit Machchhar. Investigators praised Machchhar’s quick physical resistance, which prevented the co-pilot from seizing complete control of the flight systems or locking the captain out of the cockpit.

The investigation, which was also reported on by the Jerusalem Post, suggests that al-Hammami’s shift toward religious extremism began in 2017 while he was living and studying in Australia.

Neither flydubai nor the Omani government has yet released a formal statement on the findings. Al-Hammami remains in Emirati custody as prosecutors prepare their case.