FlyDubai cockpit attack puts aviation security under scrutiny as co-pilot's radical past, Oman flying ban and hijacking attempt are investigated
From the Newshound archive · first published 2 October 2026 · last updated 3 October 2026.
The injured Omani co-pilot, who Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said had undergone "Islamic radical indoctrination" and was suicidal, with Israel probing whether the attack was state-sponsored.Narendra Modi speaking with Captain Smit Machchhar, whom India's Prime Minister said had "shown the world the highest form of courage" and that India is "praying for his wellbeing.The attacker on the Flydubai flight was restrained by passengers using a belt, Captain Smit Machchhar's mother told reporters.Scenes from flight FZ1073, where passengers reportedly heard screams from the cockpit before acting to subdue the attacker onboard.Birmingham Perry Barr MP Ayoub Khan sparked fury after suggesting the Flydubai terror attack was a false flag.Ayoub Khan, the Independent MP who suggested the FlyDubai terror attack was a false flag, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Captain Smit Machchhar for showing "the highest form of courage.
Hammam al-Hammami, the 29-year-old Omani national accused of attacking captain Smit Machchhar with a cockpit crash axe on Israel-bound FlyDubai flight FZ1073, had been barred from flying by Oman over extremist views before being hired by the Dubai airline anyway. The UAE prosecutor general has formally declared the assault a terrorist attack, and investigators are now probing whether al-Hammami acted as a lone wolf or had links to an extremist network. Al-Hammami completed a distance-learning aviation management degree at Buckinghamshire New University in 2023 and is also said to have studied engineering in Australia. He is currently in custody in Saudi Arabia, where he was arrested after the flight made an emergency landing.
Al-Hammami was removed from a co-pilot trainee role at Oman Air in 2024 after radical materials were found on his phone, yet FlyDubai reportedly never checked his record before hiring him.
The plane plunged over 14,000ft in under 30 seconds, with 182 passengers aboard, before off-duty pilots and crew wrestled al-Hammami down and landed the jet safely.
Netanyahu said the attacker 'underwent Islamist radicalisation' and 'intended to crash the plane with all passengers on board', warning those who sent him will pay 'a very heavy price'.
