Top prosecutor Hamad Saif Al Shamsi confirmed that Hamam al‑Hammami, a 29‑year‑old Omani national, used an emergency axe to assault captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073 on September 30, 2026.
The co‑pilot had cultivated extremist views while studying in Melbourne in 2017, according to investigators, and had spent two earlier flights to Tel Aviv to scout the airport and route before the fateful day.
When the axe struck, Machchhar suffered head wounds that a forensic report linked to the timing of the assault. Passengers and the returning pilot rushed into the cockpit, subduing al‑Hammami and restoring control before the aircraft diverted to Tabuk Airport.
Al‑Hammami’s career path—Oman Air (2020‑2024), Royal Air Maroc (early 2025), and flydubai (January 2026)—showed he met all licensing and security checks, yet none flagged extremist tendencies.
Investigators are now reviewing recordings, technical data, and al‑Hammami’s associations at a mosque linked to RMIT and a centre headed by a man known as Abu Hamza, to determine whether the attack was an isolated act or part of a broader plot. The probe will continue until all evidence is exhausted.