Flydubai Hijacking Plot Raises Security Questions

The article reports that United Arab Emirates investigators believe the alleged attempted hijacking of a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was preceded by the co-pilot’s growing interest in extremist ideology while he was studying in Australia. The suspect, widely identified in media reports as Omani national Al-Hammami, is accused of attacking his Indian co-pilot, Smit Machchhar, with a cockpit crash axe while the aircraft was over Saudi Arabia. The flight was carrying more than 170 passengers. Machchhar reportedly managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and regain control of the aircraft. A pilot travelling as a passenger then carried out an emergency landing in northern Saudi Arabia after the plane lost altitude. UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the suspect allegedly intended to seize control of the aircraft and crash it into Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport in a suicide attack. According to statements reported by the UAE’s state news agency, investigators believe signs of the suspect’s “drift towards extremism and terrorism” appeared in 2017, when he was studying at Melbourne’s RMIT. The alleged influences included extremist literature, online material glorifying terrorist groups and suicide attacks, and inspiration from Al Qaeda’s September 11 attacks. Investigators also said he described preparing for the plot through physical and psychological conditioning, including boxing training. The Australian Federal Police has opened an investigation into the suspect’s time in Australia and any possible links to extremism. UAE authorities say the suspect confessed, in the presence of a lawyer, and claimed he acted alone; investigators are continuing to examine that claim. The incident has also raised questions about how he was permitted to fly, given reports that he had been dismissed by Oman’s national carrier over extremist views. The article notes that Israel restricts flight crews from countries without diplomatic relations from operating flights to and from Tel Aviv, a category that includes Oman. Israeli calls have been made for the transport minister to resign over alleged security-screening failures.

UAE officials say an Omani co-pilot accused of trying to hijack a Flydubai flight began moving towards extremism while studying in Australia between 2015 and 2017. UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said the 29-year-old, widely identified as Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly intended to crash the Dubai–Tel Aviv flight into Tel Aviv airport in a suicide attack. According to statements reported by the UAE state news agency Wam, investigators believe he was influenced by extremist material online and in print, and prepared for the alleged plot through physical training and exposure to terrorist propaganda. Officials say he told investigators he acted alone, though inquiries into whether others were involved are continuing. During the incident, the co-pilot allegedly wounded the captain with an emergency crash axe in the cockpit. Indian co-pilot Captain Smit Machchhar reportedly managed to unlock the cockpit door while under attack, allowing passengers to enter and help regain control. Another crew member landed the aircraft in Saudi Arabia. More than 170 passengers and crew were aboard flight FZ1073 on 30 September. Australian media reported that the man received a student visa in 2014 and studied in Australia from 2015 to 2017 without completing an engineering qualification at Melbourne’s RMIT. Australian authorities are investigating his links to the country. His now-deleted social-media posts reportedly described time spent studying in Australia, Britain and New Zealand as important to his religious commitment. The allegations have also raised questions about aviation security and hiring procedures. Regional officials said Oman Air had barred the co-pilot from flying and reassigned him because of concerns about his extremist views. He was subsequently hired by Flydubai after standard security checks that, officials say, did not examine his background for signs of radicalisation. Questions have also been raised about Israeli rules barring pilots who are citizens of countries without formal diplomatic relations with Israel, including Oman, from operating flights to the country.

A preliminary investigation by the United Arab Emirates says Hamam al-Hammami, a 29-year-old Flydubai co-pilot, allegedly planned to seize a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30 and crash it into the passenger terminal at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said al-Hammami was inspired by the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States and wanted to carry out a similar aircraft-based attack, causing as many casualties as possible. The investigation found that he had previously flown to Ben Gurion Airport twice, reportedly to familiarise himself with the route and airport. The alleged attempt was stopped when the captain and several passengers restrained him and regained control of the aircraft. According to investigators, al-Hammami began moving toward extremism in 2017 while studying in Australia. He was influenced by extremist publications and online material praising terrorist groups and suicide attacks. The UAE statement said he increased his exposure to material inciting terrorism and trained in boxing as part of preparing for the alleged plot. The investigation also reviewed his employment history. He worked for Oman Air from 2020 to 2024, joined Royal Air Maroc in 2025 but was not selected for a job after training, and joined Flydubai in January 2026. A source previously told CNN that Oman Air had removed him from flight training over concerns about his radical views. UAE investigators said he met Flydubai’s stated professional and security requirements, including holding a pilot’s licence and passing the required checks, and that those procedures had not revealed his alleged extremist intentions. Al-Hammami told investigators he acted alone, but authorities are continuing to examine that claim.

Miryam Ochayon, 24, was returning to Israel from nearly a year of traveling when she became a passenger aboard flydubai Flight 1073 on Sept. 30. The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned into a terrifying emergency after Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami allegedly stabbed captain Smit Machchhar and tried to crash the plane, which was carrying 182 people, mostly Israelis. The aircraft plunged out of control before passengers helped subdue the suspect and the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. During the ordeal, Miryam filmed herself amid passengers’ screams and repeated that she would survive and see her mother. She held the hands of young children seated beside her, whose father, Tzvika Manes, helped restrain the suspect. Miryam said the children’s screams reminded her of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and that she felt they were seconds from crashing. She prayed to her brother Eviatar, telling him she needed to return home to their mother. Eviatar, 22, was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, while serving as an ambulance driver in the Golani unit at the Kissufim military outpost. A Hamas terrorist threw an explosive into a shelter, killing Eviatar and five other soldiers. His death had already devastated his mother, Yasmin, a single parent from Jerusalem. She was waiting for Miryam at Ben Gurion Airport without knowing what was happening aboard the plane until her daughter called after landing. Days later, Miryam attended Eviatar’s memorial at Mount Herzl, where she wept beside his grave and said surviving had allowed her to be there. Yasmin described her daughter’s survival as a miracle, saying that although she lost her son, she had her daughter back. Both women connected the family’s survival and loss to their belief that Eviatar had watched over them.