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Flydubai pilot attacked captain with cockpit’s crash axe in attempted terrorist attack, UAE official says
NBC News • • world
Key Points:
- A Flydubai co-pilot, identified by sources as Omani citizen Hamam al-Hammami, attacked the captain mid-flight with a crash axe in an attempted terrorist attack on a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight carrying 174 passengers, mostly Israeli.
- The attack was thwarted when crew and passengers entered the cockpit and subdued al-Hammami, preventing a potential crash; the co-pilot had reportedly been banned from flying by Oman due to radical ideological concerns.
- Investigations led by Emirati authorities, with cooperation from Israeli officials, are ongoing to determine the full circumstances, motives, and any possible links related to the incident.
- The captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, was severely injured but praised for his bravery in preventing the crash by opening the cockpit door and enabling others to intervene.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested Islamist radicalization as the motive and warned that those responsible for sending the attacker would face severe consequences, while U.S. officials found no evidence Iran was involved.
