Flydubai hijacker is named for first time as terrorism probe reveals he attacked pilot with AXE, tell me about this news today

The United Arab Emirates Prosecutor General, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, announced that the midair cockpit attack aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 is officially being investigated as an attempted terrorist act.

The Jerusalem Post

The co-pilot was identified as Hammam Al-Hammami, an Omani national.

The Jerusalem Post

Key details released regarding the incident and ongoing investigation include:

• The Weapon and Attack: Al-Hammami attacked the flight’s captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, inside the cockpit using the aircraft’s onboard emergency crash axestandard emergency equipment kept in cockpits. He then attempted to seize control and intentionally crash the aircraft.

  The Jerusalem Post

• Extreme Dive: The Boeing aircraft, carrying around 174 passengers and crew from Dubai to Tel Aviv, suddenly plunged over 16,000 feet (dropping from 33,000 feet to roughly 17,000 feet) in about a minute during the struggle for the controls.

  The Indian Express

• Intervention: Despite sustaining severe injuries, Captain Machchhar managed to unlock the armored cockpit door. This allowed cabin crew and several passengers to storm the flight deck, overpower Al-Hammami, and restrain him.

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• Emergency Landing: Other qualified crew members took control of the aircraft and made an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where all passengers evacuated safely. Captain Machchhar was hospitalized and later airlifted to Abu Dhabi for treatment.

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• Suspect’s Background & Custody: Al-Hammami, who was transferred to UAE custody for interrogation, had previously worked for Oman Air, where he was reportedly moved to a desk role after Omani security flagged him for browsing radical websites before he resigned and joined Flydubai. Authorities in the UAE, with cooperation from regional intelligence, are analyzing digital and physical evidence to determine whether he acted alone or under the direction of an extremist organization.

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