Flydubai Co-Pilot Attack Spurs Terrorism and Security Probe

The Australian Federal Police says the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team is investigating whether a flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking a captain has Australian links, including whether he was radicalised while living in Australia. The team includes the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO. The co-pilot, identified by sources as Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly stabbed Captain Smit Machcharr and tried to take control of a flight on Wednesday. The plane reportedly plunged nearly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds before passengers and others subdued the co-pilot. The flight, carrying 174 people from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv, diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, for an emergency landing. Sources said al-Hammami received an Australian student visa in 2014 and studied in Australia from 2015 to 2017. His visa was cancelled in 2019 because he was no longer enrolled in a course, according to the ABC, rather than on character grounds. The UAE is leading a separate investigation and described the incident as a terrorist attack. Officials said the Omani national had previously been barred from flying for his country’s airline over concerns about extremist views. The incident has raised questions about flydubai’s employee screening and how the co-pilot was able to fly on a route carrying Israeli passengers despite Israel’s security arrangements with foreign carriers. Royal Air Maroc said he completed three months of theoretical training in 2025 but was not selected for employment. Buckinghamshire New University said he completed a distance-learning aviation management course, not pilot training. An aviation security expert noted that background-check practices vary between countries and that cross-border checks face substantial limitations.

A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying more than 170 people plunged sharply after its co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe, according to the UAE prosecutor general. Passengers eventually overpowered the co-pilot and helped regain control of the aircraft. Machchhar, injured and lying on the cockpit floor, managed to open the cockpit door so passengers could enter. Two reserve pilots then took control and landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia. The UAE attorney general said investigators believe the co-pilot attempted a terrorist act and are examining the circumstances, motives and any possible links. The weapon is a significant issue for investigators because a crash axe is normally kept in the cockpit, while early passenger accounts had suggested a knife was used. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu identified the attacker as an Omani national; several media outlets named him as Hamam al-Hammami, but authorities had not officially confirmed his identity. Netanyahu said the attacker had expressed a desire to die and described him as having undergone Islamist radical indoctrination. Reports also said he had been removed from flight training at Oman Air over concerns about his views. He later completed a distance-learning aviation management degree at Buckinghamshire New University, which said he had not trained there as a pilot. Passengers described the aircraft dropping rapidly with strong G-forces before the cockpit alarm was raised. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said passenger Tali Manes alerted others after hearing a commotion. Her husband and three other men entered the cockpit, where passenger Yaniv Hayun said the attacker was trying to damage the instruments. Hayun restrained him and helped stabilize the plane until a reserve pilot took control. Machchhar was treated in hospital and transferred to Abu Dhabi; the Indian embassy said he was recovering well and was in stable condition.

The article recounts the response of Captain Dhaval Patel, a longtime friend and fellow aviator of flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar, to the reported stabbing and attempted hijacking aboard a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Patel said he had known Machchhar for nearly two decades, since they trained together in New Zealand, and remembered him as a knowledgeable pilot who helped educate colleagues. Seeing footage of the alleged attack was deeply distressing, Patel said, because he could not initially believe it was happening to someone he knew and cared about. Machchhar, an Indian national, was credited with helping prevent a potential disaster. Despite being stabbed, he reportedly fought back and opened the cockpit door to summon help. Passengers subdued the first officer, while two off-duty pilots aboard the plane helped regain control and land it safely in Saudi Arabia. Machchhar was taken to Abu Dhabi for treatment. Patel said his friend was recovering steadily and was out of danger. The co-pilot was identified as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national. The article reports that sources said he had previously been barred from flying by Oman’s national airline amid concerns he had become radicalized. Israeli leaders described the incident as a jihadist terrorist attack and accused him of trying to crash the aircraft. From his hospital bed, Machchhar spoke by video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He described sensing that the plane was descending while he was on the floor and pushing himself to reach and open the cockpit door despite being stabbed. Modi praised his actions, and Patel said he was proud to see his friend receive recognition from the Indian prime minister and leaders around the world.

The provided excerpt reports that a FlyDubai co-pilot on a flight bound for Israel allegedly attacked the captain in the cockpit with a crash ax. According to officials and accounts that emerged on Saturday, the co-pilot had been praying before taking the ax and striking the captain several times. The assault reportedly sent the aircraft into a sharp descent, and officials characterized the incident as an attempted terrorist act. The excerpt does not identify the flight, provide details about injuries or passengers, describe how the incident ended, or include responses from the airline or other parties. Because the supplied content consists only of a headline, byline, and one sentence of article text, it is not possible to provide a fuller account without adding unsupported information.