Flydubai co-pilot Hammam al-Hammami: His past, a crash axe, a ‘terror’ plot — 5 big updates
A Flydubai flight FZ1073 carrying 182 passengers, including many Israelis, crashed and plunged nearly 20,000 feet in just four minutes on a route from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The Indian Captain Smit Machchhar was seriously injured while attempting to regain control of the aircraft during the descent. The co-pilot, identified as Omani national Hammam al-Hammami, is suspected of attacking the captain with a crash axe and attempting to seize control of the plane.
The investigation is ongoing by the UAE, focusing on motives, involvement of others, and the vetting process. The passengers and crew intervened to restrain the attacker, with reserve pilots taking control of the aircraft. The flight eventually landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
