Co-pilot attacked captain with axe on Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, confirms UAE prosecutors
The co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073 attacked the captain with an emergency axe. Passengers restrained the attacker after a descent of 5,200 metres.
Axe attack on Dubai-Tel Aviv flight: account from wounded captain and passengers
The Prosecutor General of the United Arab Emirates revealed that the co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073 used an emergency axe to attack the aircraft's captain, according to reports from El Deber. The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, when the aircraft bound for Tel Aviv was carrying more than 170 people on board.
Approximately two and a half hours after departing from Dubai International Airport, the aircraft lost 5,200 metres of altitude abruptly. The aircraft first issued the general emergency code 7700 and then switched to code 7500, which indicates unlawful interference or hijacking.
Captain opened the door from inside
Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, recounted that he was lying on the floor wounded when he realised the aircraft was descending and that he had to act. "I told myself that I had to make one last effort to open the door from inside," he stated.
His action enabled passengers to enter the flight deck. Israeli president Isaac Herzog noted on Thursday that the alarm was raised by an Israeli passenger, identified as Tali Manes, who heard a commotion coming from the flight deck.
Her husband Zvika, together with three other men—Yaniv Hayun, doctor Shota Musayev and Asaf Rajuan—entered the flight deck after Machchhar managed to open the door despite his injuries. Hayun described how the attacker "was attempting to destroy the instruments to disable the aircraft". The passenger recounted how he restrained the attacker with a chokehold and removed him from the flight deck before other passengers helped hold him. "The aircraft began to stabilise a bit more, and then (another) pilot told me he would take control," he added.
Two standby pilots who were on board were able to land the aircraft without problems in Saudi Arabia. Emergency axes are normally kept in the flight deck, and the tool the co-pilot used in the attack was stored there.
The descent: "like a roller coaster"
A passenger described the moment the aircraft began to fall, in an interview with the BBC. "Suddenly, the aircraft began to fall, like a roller coaster, with tremendous G-force," said Almog Itali. "It was falling for 20 or 30 seconds, rapidly, then it stabilised and then it fell again," he added.
Identity of attacker and ongoing investigation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the attacker is an Omani national. Media outlets including Reuters, CNN and The New York Times identified him as Hamam al-Hammami, although there is no official confirmation on this matter.
According to United States media reports, whilst working at Oman Air, Oman's national airline, Al-Hammami was removed from pilot training owing to concerns about his radical ideas, and was assigned another position within the company. It was also reported that he completed a three-year distance-learning course at Buckinghamshire New University in the United Kingdom, graduating in aeronautical management in 2023, although the institution stated it did not provide pilot training.
In statements to Fox News, Netanyahu stated that after being restrained, the attacker shouted at the crew: "Kill me, kill me!". The Israeli leader maintained that the attacker "was subjected to Islamist radical indoctrination" and that "it seems highly likely that he wanted to crash the aircraft".
The United Arab Emirates launched an investigation to determine whether "the incident was related to any terrorist activity or purpose", according to the country's state news agency. The Prosecutor General told state media that the investigation continues to determine all the circumstances and motives behind the incident.
Condition of wounded captain
Machchhar, who was stabbed during the attack, was taken to a nearby hospital and subsequently evacuated by aircraft to Abu Dhabi, where he is in a stable condition. The Embassy of India in the United Arab Emirates reported on Thursday that the pilot is in "good health and recovering satisfactorily". Machchhar himself stated: "I am confident that I will recover and return to being fit and well".
In an interview with CNN on Wednesday night, Netanyahu stated that the stabbed captain, the passengers and the second crew had "managed to prevent a catastrophe like that of 11 September".
Source: El Deber