Axe attack on Flydubai pilot: Omani co-pilot sought to crash aircraft
Co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami from Oman attacked the pilot of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv with an axe. The Israeli Prime Minister stated that the attacker was shouting to be killed.
Omani co-pilot attacked pilot with axe, sought to die
The identity of the man who attacked the pilot of Flydubai flight FZ 1073 on the Dubai–Tel Aviv route on 30 September has been confirmed. According to Deník.cz, citing multiple sources from the American television network CNN, the man is an Omani citizen Hamam al-Hammami. He used an emergency axe from the aircraft's cockpit as a weapon.
Al-Hammami served as co-pilot on the flight. He attacked and injured pilot Smit Machchhar, after which the aircraft rapidly descended according to flight records. The attacker was eventually subdued by a group of passengers after the injured pilot managed to press the button to open the cockpit door. The aircraft with 174 passengers on board had to make an emergency landing in the Saudi Arabian city of Tabuk. Severely injured pilot Machchhar was transported to hospital, where he is recovering.
The use of an axe and the attempted takeover of the aircraft on Saturday was confirmed by the Attorney General of the United Arab Emirates, according to the Reuters agency.
Seven years at Oman Air, then Royal Air Maroc
According to CNN and ABC sources, which include diplomats from the West and from the Gulf region, al-Hammami previously worked as a pilot for Oman Air. One diplomat told CNN that he was reassigned to another position due to his radical views. He worked at Oman Air for seven years according to a now-deleted LinkedIn profile and left in February 2025. In June of that year he joined Royal Air Maroc, which he left in January 2026. Flydubai was not mentioned in the profile, but according to one Israeli official, al-Hammami worked there for eight months.
The BBC reports that al-Hammami completed a three-year distance learning course at Buckinghamshire New University in the United Kingdom, where he obtained a degree in Aviation Management in 2023. He did not undergo any pilot training at the school.
Religiously focused posts and misogynistic content
CNN journalists analysed al-Hammami's posts from a deleted X account. Many of them were, according to their findings, religiously focused and misogynistic. In a post from February 2022 he wrote about difficulties his mother had when looking for a potential wife willing to accept his conditions — including wearing the niqab and stopping work after marriage. "They all refused. Then my mother told them: 'My son is a pilot,' and they all accepted it straight away," the post read.
In January 2022 al-Hammami also expressed opposition to a mixed working environment of men and women. "How many decent, believing girls have been destroyed and manipulated in a working environment where men and women work together?" he wrote at the time.
How did he get into the cockpit?
Investigators are now examining how al-Hammami got into the cockpit in the first place. The ABC portal notes that Israel has long-standing agreements with a number of foreign carriers that prevent pilots — citizens of countries without diplomatic relations with Israel — from flying to this destination. Israel and Oman do not maintain formal diplomatic relations. Investigators are also investigating whether al-Hammami was in contact with radical groups or acted independently.
Suicidal intent
The motive for the attack has not been officially determined. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that after being subdued, the attacker began shouting to be killed. "It is therefore clear that he had suicidal intentions. It appears very likely that he was planning to crash the aircraft," Netanyahu said. According to him, al-Hammami underwent radical Islamist indoctrination.
Source: Deník.cz