{
  "id": 11702559,
  "title": "Flydubai co-pilot Hammam al-Hammami: His past, a crash axe, a ‘terror’ plot — 5 big updates",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/flydubai-co-pilot-hammam-al-hammami-his-past-a-crash-axe-a-terror",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-03T14:29:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/world/flydubai-fz1073-investigation-copilot-hammam-al-hammami-attack-smit-machchhar-10905421/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Flydubai flight FZ1073 crashed near Tel Aviv, losing altitude rapidly.",
    "Co-pilot Hammam al-Hammami suspected of attacking captain with crash axe.",
    "Passengers and crew restrained attacker, reserve pilots regained control."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "Flydubai flight FZ1073 co-pilot attacked Indian captain with an axe, UAE probe finds",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/flydubai-flight-fz1073-co-pilot-attacked-indian-captain-with-an-axe",
        "published": "2026-10-03T08:55:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Euronews",
        "title": "UAE says FlyDubai co-pilot attacked captain with axe in “terrorist” act",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/uae-says-flydubai-co-pilot-attacked-captain-with-axe-in-terrorist-act",
        "published": "2026-10-03T09:27:47.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "What we know about the co-pilot accused in Flydubai attack",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/what-we-know-about-the-co-pilot-accused-in-flydubai-attack",
        "published": "2026-10-03T15:39:10.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Jerusalem Post",
        "title": "'I gave everything that I had': Flydubai captain tells Netanyahu about co-pilot's hijacking attempt",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/i-gave-everything-that-i-had-flydubai-captain-tells-netanyahu-about",
        "published": "2026-10-03T19:08:44.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}