The co-pilot who attacked the captain of a Flydubai flight on September 30 told investigators he planned the attack before joining the airline, two Israeli officials told Reuters. Flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

The United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said the co-pilot attacked the captain with an emergency crash axe. He described the incident as a terrorist attack. Captain Smit Machchhar was injured but managed to open the cockpit door, Reuters reported. Passengers and crew restrained the co-pilot, and an off-duty pilot took control of the aircraft.

Flydubai said no passengers were reported to have serious injuries, according to an Indian newspaper report. Saudi authorities said two crew members were hospitalised.

Officials describe an alleged plan to crash the aircraft

The two Israeli officials said the co-pilot searched for airlines flying to Tel Aviv before applying to Flydubai. A third source briefed on the investigation said he intended to crash the September 30 flight into Ben-Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv. All three spoke to Reuters anonymously.

Accounts differ on the precise target: some describe the airport itself, while others describe a building or another aircraft there. The third source also said the co-pilot intended to hijack and crash an earlier flight to Tel Aviv this year. Why he abandoned that alleged plan remains unclear, although the source said he was thought to know someone aboard.

Media reports identify the co-pilot as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national now in UAE custody and being questioned. UAE authorities and Flydubai have not publicly disclosed his identity. The UAE has announced no formal charges against him, and it is not known whether he has a lawyer.

Reports raise questions about hiring checks

The Wall Street Journal reported that Omani authorities monitored the co-pilot’s online behaviour while he worked for Oman Air between 2022 and 2025. According to the report, relayed by a Serbian newspaper, authorities considered his interest in radical ideology excessive. He was suspended from flight duties and placed in a deradicalisation programme.

The Journal said Oman did not inform Flydubai of those concerns. It also reported that Flydubai checked his criminal record before hiring him but did not contact Oman about his previous employment. Oman has not commented on the incident.

UAE authorities are examining employees involved in hiring the co-pilot, the Journal reported. They are also investigating the incident’s causes and circumstances, including operational and security measures, according to the Tanjug news agency.

Israel orders review as other countries investigate

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a security review of foreign airlines flying to Israel. He said pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel, including Oman, are not permitted to operate flights there. How the co-pilot was assigned to the Tel Aviv flight remains unclear.

New Zealand Assistant Police Commissioner Michael Johnson said police were examining a period the co-pilot spent in the country. An Australian counterterrorism unit is also investigating his links to Australia, Reuters reported. The agency said he had previously enrolled at RMIT University in Melbourne.