The co-pilot who attacked his captain aboard FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 last week told UAE interrogators he had planned the attack before he was hired by the airline, two Israeli officials with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters on Monday.
The co-pilot, identified by two sources as 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, attacked Capt. Smit Machchhar with an emergency crash axe inside the cockpit of the Dubai–Tel Aviv flight on Sept. 30, 2026, in what the UAE prosecutor general has designated an attempted “terrorist attack.” Passengers and crew forced their way into the cockpit and subdued him; the aircraft made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Al-Hammami is in UAE custody.
According to the Israeli officials, al-Hammami told interrogators he had searched for airlines that fly to Tel Aviv before applying to Dubai state-owned flydubai — “That’s why I chose flydubai. I planned it even before I was accepted.” A third source briefed on the UAE probe said he had planned to crash the flight into Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, and had operated an earlier Tel Aviv flight this year on which he intended to act but backed off. Israeli media also reported he had originally planned the attack for July but postponed it.
Reuters has not been able to independently reach al-Hammami for comment. The UAE has not announced formal charges, and it is not known if he has appointed legal counsel. Oman has not commented.
