A co-pilot attacked the captain of a Flydubai flight with a crash axe two and a half hours after departure from Dubai, according to the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general. The flight, carrying more than 170 people bound for Tel Aviv, plunged 17,000 feet before passengers overpowered the attacker and regained control of the aircraft.
Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot, was lying injured on the cockpit floor when he realized the plane was descending. He managed to open the cockpit door from inside, allowing passengers to enter. Machchhar was stabbed during the attack and was taken to a hospital in Abu Dhabi, where he is reported to be in stable condition and recovering well.
The plane transmitted a "general emergency" code before switching to squawk 7500, signaling unlawful interference. Five people entered the cockpit after Machchhar opened the door. Zvika Manes and Yaniv Hayun, along with three others named Dr Shota Musayev and Asaf Rajuan, subdued the attacker. Hayun said the co-pilot was "trying to destroy the instruments in order to disable the plane" and described putting him in a chokehold. Two reserve pilots then landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia.
The co-pilot is an Omani national, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Multiple media outlets including Reuters, CNN and The New York Times have named him as Hamam al-Hammami, though there has been no official confirmation. Netanyahu told Fox News that after being subdued, the attacker called out "Kill me, kill me," and said the co-pilot "underwent Islamist radical indoctrination."
While working at Oman Air, the co-pilot was removed from flight training because of concerns over radical views and reassigned to another role, according to US media reports. He completed a distance-learning course at Buckinghamshire New University in the UK and graduated with a degree in aviation management in 2023, though he took no pilot training there.
The UAE has begun investigating whether the incident was linked to terrorist activity. Netanyahu stated the crew and passengers had "managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster."