Flydubai co-pilot accused of mid-flight attack on captain
What happened
Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national serving as a co-pilot on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a cockpit crash axe in an attempt to take control of the aircraft.
The captain was wounded and stabbed during the incident but managed to unlock the cockpit door, while Israeli passengers assisted in restraining the co-pilot.
UAE authorities have characterized the event as an attempted terrorist attack, and multiple countries, including Australia and Israel, are investigating the co-pilot's background.
Why it matters
The incident involved 182 people on board, and reports indicate the co-pilot was previously banned from flying in Oman due to extremism.
Context
Hammam al-Hammami held an Australian student visa from 2014 until its cancellation in 2019 and reportedly studied engineering at an Australian university.
Following the restraint of the co-pilot, Israeli passengers reported that the flydubai crew requested they release the attacker, leading to a confrontation between the passengers and the crew.
Sources 11 sources
This briefing cites 10 publishers across 10 detected independent reporting streams. Some cited articles appear to be syndicated or near-duplicate coverage, so they are not counted as separate corroboration.
- Bhaskarlive Australia launches probe into flydubai incident following reports of co-pilot's link
- Deccan Herald Multiple countries probe background of flydubai co-pilot who attacked Captain Smit Machchhar: Reports
- Express News Channel flydubai Co-Pilot Used Crash Axe to Assault Indian Captain, UAE Probe Reveals
- Modern Diplomacy UAE Says Flydubai Co-Pilot Attacked Pilot With Axe in Attempted Terror Attack
- Moneycontrol Multiple countries probe background of flydubai co-pilot accused of cockpit attack: Reports
- News 18 FlyDubai FZ1073: Co-Pilot’s Past Raises Major Security & Vetting Questions | Super Saturday Debate
- Newsbytes Flydubai co-pilot was banned from flying in Oman for extremism
- Tdtnews Ax-wielding FlyDubai co-pilot had been flagged over extremism concerns Detected as syndicated or near-duplicate coverage.
- The Business Standard Co-pilot used cockpit crash axe to attack Flydubai captain
- The Indian Express Who is Hamam al-Hammami? Flydubai co-pilot, who stabbed India’s Smit Machchhar
- The Post Omani co-pilot who tried to crash Flydubai jet studied at UK university