{
  "id": 11643100,
  "title": "Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with axe, UAE official says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/flydubai-co-pilot-attacked-captain-with-axe-uae-official-says-11643100",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-03T08:28:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "KahawaTungu",
    "slug": "kahawatungu",
    "url": "https://kahawatungu.com/flydubai-co-pilot-attacked-captain-with-axe-uae-official-says/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, co-pilot Smit Machchhar attacked the pilot with an axe, attempting to seize control of the aircraft, according to the UAE prosecutor general. The Boeing airliner, carrying more than 170 passengers, plummeted more than 17,000 feet within two and a half hours of its journey. Machchhar was lying on the cockpit floor when he noticed the plane losing altitude and took decisive action by yelling for everyone to open the door. Passengers then entered the cockpit and overpowered the attacker. Thanks to the quick thinking of the crew and passengers, the flight was landed safely. The attacker, an Omani national, was subdued and called out to the crew, \"Kill me, kill me!\" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that the attacker was likely suicidal and had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination. The UAE is investigating whether the incident may have been linked to terrorism. Machchhar, who was stabbed during the attack, was taken to a nearby hospital and then airlifted to Abu Dhabi, where he is reported to be in a stable condition. He expressed confidence in his recovery.",
  "summary": "The co-pilot of the Flydubai plane travelling to Israel attacked the pilot with a crash axe in an attempt to take control of the aircraft, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general has said. The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying more than 170 people plunged more than 17,000ft (5,200m) two and a half hours [...] The post Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with axe, UAE official says…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 10,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Middle East Eye",
        "title": "UAE prosecutor general says flydubai co-pilot 'attempted terrorist attack'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/uae-prosecutor-general-says-flydubai-co-pilot-attempted-terrorist",
        "published": "2026-10-03T06:25:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Co-pilot on flydubai flight 'attempted to carry out terrorist act', UAE's attorney general says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/co-pilot-on-flydubai-flight-attempted-to-carry-out-terrorist-act-uaes",
        "published": "2026-10-03T06:30:57.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times",
        "title": "Omani pilot used ‘crash axe’ in cockpit to attack Captain Smit Machchhar, attempted ‘terrorist attack’: UAE",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/omani-pilot-used-crash-axe-in-cockpit-to-attack-captain-smit",
        "published": "2026-10-03T06:47:39.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn",
        "title": "UAE investigators say flydubai co-pilot was planning 'terrorist act'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/uae-investigators-say-flydubai-co-pilot-was-planning-terrorist-act",
        "published": "2026-10-03T07:38:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC World",
        "title": "Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with axe, UAE official says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/flydubai-co-pilot-attacked-captain-with-axe-uae-official-says",
        "published": "2026-10-03T07:49:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Ajel English",
        "title": "Flydubai co-pilot attempted terror attack during flight, UAE says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/flydubai-co-pilot-attempted-terror-attack-during-flight-uae-says",
        "published": "2026-10-03T08:04:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Le Monde English",
        "title": "UAE investigators say flydubai co-pilot was planning 'terrorist act'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/uae-investigators-say-flydubai-co-pilot-was-planning-terrorist-act-11638638",
        "published": "2026-10-03T08:20:29.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "KBC",
        "title": "Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with axe, UAE official says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/flydubai-co-pilot-attacked-captain-with-axe-uae-official-says-11642808",
        "published": "2026-10-03T08:26:55.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "UAE investigators say flydubai co-pilot was planning ‘terrorist act’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/uae-investigators-say-flydubai-co-pilot-was-planning-terrorist-act-11645219",
        "published": "2026-10-03T08:46:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}