FlyDubai Attacker Had Been Banned From Flying by Oman for Radical Views: Report
Investigators say the co-pilot had been barred from flying in Oman over extremist views and is being examined for possible terrorism links.
- On Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, a Flydubai co-pilot allegedly stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar aboard Flight FZ1073, sending the Boeing 737 MAX 8 into a rapid descent before passengers and reserve pilots landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
- Omani authorities previously barred the co-pilot, identified as Hamam al-Hammami, from flying due to concerns about extremist views, yet Flydubai hired the Omani national for the sensitive Dubai–Tel Aviv route.
- Captain Machchhar, though seriously injured, unlocked the cockpit door to allow passengers to restrain the attacker; the suspect is now in the United Arab Emirates "cooperating" with investigators examining whether he acted alone.
- Flydubai suspended all flights to Israel until October 15, while Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev ordered a formal review of airline operations and Etihad Airways organized repatriation for stranded passengers.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged the attacker underwent "Islamist radical indoctrination," but security officials report no evidence of Iranian involvement despite U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion of possible Tehran links.
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Religion News Service
HuffPostFlyDubai co-pilot who nearly crashed plane was barred from flying by Oman over extremism concerns
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The attack left the region’s travel industry in crisis, raising questions about aviation security and further unsettling a Middle East already shaken by the U.S.-Iran war.
The pilot behind last week's suspected hijacking attempt on Flydubai was under investigation by authorities in both Oman and Australia for his extreme tendencies. So how did he get approved to pilot a flight to Israel?
A tragedy could have occurred on a FlyDubai plane to Tel-Aviv on 30 September. The captain was attacked by his co-pilot, who was allegedly banned from flying by the Omani authorities because of his radicalisation. Now, the question of the international transmission of this information: what controls are in place for airline pilots? - "There is a safety follow-up that can be carried out": how are the profiles of airline pilots checked? (Internati…
The company Oman Air, for which the alleged terrorist worked, already took him off the flights because of his extremist tendencies, but neither the Emirati nor Israel noticed it.
It is not known how Hamam al-Hammami could be hired in Dubai and why he was on a journey to Israel. More information: The Emirati Attorney General confirms that stabbing the pilot of a plane to Israel was a "terrorist attack"
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