Dubai (AFP) – The investigation into the attack on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv has classified as a “terrorist act” the attack perpetrated by the co-pilot, who injured the pilot with an emergency ax from the cockpit, official Emirati media reported on Saturday, citing the attorney general.

Published on: 03/10/2026 - 10:36 Modified on: 03/10/2026 - 20:48

The plane, which linked the Emirates to Israel and carried mostly Israeli passengers, had to land urgently in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

Investigations, carried out by the Emirati authorities, revealed that the co-pilot "had begun to carry out a terrorist act", said the Emirati Attorney General, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, quoted by the official WAM news agency.

He specified that the suspect “attacked the captain in the cockpit using the emergency axe” from the cockpit, and tried “to take the controls of the plane”.

The investigation is continuing “in order to establish all the circumstances of the incident and its motivations,” he said.

He did not reveal the nationality of the co-pilot, in custody in the United Arab Emirates, although a Saudi source told AFP that he was Omani.

According to several international media, the co-pilot, named Hammam Hammami, had been banned from flying planes for security reasons by the Omani authorities, who believed that he had been influenced by radical Islamist groups during a stay in Syria.

According to these same media, he joined flydubai after leaving his employer Oman Air and unsuccessfully applying to Emirates.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed he had "underwent radical Islamist indoctrination" and "intended to crash the plane with its passengers."

"My last chance"

The pilot of the plane, the Indian Smit Machchhar, hailed everywhere as a "hero", recounted how, injured, he had unlocked, in a final effort, the cockpit door, thus thwarting the attack.

“I was trying to save my life, but I knew I couldn't let all these people die,” he explained from his hospital bed during a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose services relayed the sequence.

“I knew it was my last chance and that the door was right there,” said this pilot, with 17 years of experience, including 11 as captain. “I was still getting beaten up, but I just opened the door and everyone came in.”

The co-pilot attacked him after asking him for a moment to pray, he detailed during a telephone conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, the video of which was relayed by the Prime Minister's office.

Many people in the area "are saying their prayers. It was nothing unusual. While he was praying, out of respect, I was just looking forward," but suddenly, "I felt a big blow on the back of the head," he said.

“My first thought was that there was catastrophic damage to the aircraft (...) But then the blows continued to follow one another” and “that’s when I understood”.

While specifying that his memories were not entirely clear, he said he had the impression that the co-pilot had managed to close the cockpit door for the first time. "That's when I gave it my all. I mobilized everything I had, I rushed to the door, I opened it and luckily there were people waiting."

Passengers and crew members then overpowered the attacker and regained control of the aircraft, which was able to make an emergency landing.

Hailing the pilot as a “hero for the whole world,” Mr. Netanyahu invited him to come to Israel as an honored guest.

On his X account, the Crown Prince of Dubai, Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, showed a photo of himself with the hospitalized pilot. “He has our complete gratitude,” he wrote.

On Saturday, the first Israeli flight from the Emirates since the attack arrived in Tel Aviv, according to the Ben-Gurion Airport website.

This flight was operated by the Israeli low-cost airline Arkia and landed at approximately 1:10 a.m. local time.

After the attack, flydubai suspended its route and on Friday, the Israeli company El Al canceled special flights planned to bring Israelis stranded back to Dubai.

© 2026 AFP

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