Stabbed FlyDubai captain 'fought for his life' to open cockpit door and let passengers overpower Omani co-pilot
From the Newshound archive · first published 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.
Hamam al-Hammami, the 29-year-old Omani national who allegedly stabbed captain Smit Machchhar with a cockpit axe on a Tel Aviv-bound FlyDubai flight, was barred from flying by Oman after extremist materials were found on his phone while he trained at Oman Air in 2024. FlyDubai reportedly did not check with Oman Air before hiring him, allowing him to fly one of the most sensitive routes in the region. Netanyahu has warned that whoever sent al-Hammami "will pay a very heavy price" as investigators probe whether he acted alone.
Al-Hammami, born in the UAE to an Omani father and Syrian mother, had completed a distance-learning degree at Buckinghamshire New University in 2023.
The plane carrying 182 passengers plunged over 14,000ft in under 30 seconds before off-duty pilots and passengers wrestled al-Hammami to the ground and tied his hands with headphones.
UAE prosecutors have formally declared the cockpit attack a "terrorist" act, with investigators still working to establish whether al-Hammami was directed by any extremist group.
