Flydubai Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami planned Tel Aviv crash before hiring by airline: Report
Flydubai flight FZ1073's co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly planned to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport before being hired by the airline, according to Israeli officials. Al-Hammami, an Omani national, allegedly attempted to crash the flight in a midair cockpit brawl, during which he allegedly stabbed the Indian pilot, Smit Machchhar.
The plane took off from Dubai with 174 passengers and six crew members. The co-pilot had also allegedly attempted to hijack and crash an earlier Israel-bound flight in 2026, but chose not to. The incident remains under investigation by the UAE, with Israeli and Saudi authorities participating.
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.
Also reported by 6 other outlets
- Flydubai co-pilot planned to target Tel Aviv skyscraper or Ben-Gurion Airport — report english.nv.ua
- Israeli officials say FlyDubai co-pilot planned attack before joining airline cbc.ca
- FlyDubai attacker intended to crash plane into Tel Aviv airport, ongoing investigation finds npr.org
- Hero passengers on the terrifying FlyDubai flight detail how they saved the plane cbsnews.com
- FlyDubai suspected attacker intended to crash into Tel Aviv airport, sources say abcnews.com
- Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash plane into Tel Aviv airport or building, reports say bbc.co.uk
