When a co‑pilot of flydubai Flight FZ1073, Hamam al‑Hammami, brandished a metal axe and struck Captain Smit Machchhar, the aircraft was forced into a steep descent over Jordan.
Al‑Hammami had spent the preceding months mapping flight routes to Tel Aviv—searching for airlines that served Ben Gurion Airport—before he applied to flydubai, according to UAE interrogators.
The Omani national had flown a similar route earlier that year, but Oman had already flagged his extremist online activity and stripped him of flying duties, yet he was still allowed to operate the flight to Israel.
Israeli intelligence, the UAE prosecutor general and Saudi authorities have all been involved in questioning al‑Hammami; the UAE has labeled the incident a terrorist attack and is transferring him to the UAE for trial.
An off‑duty pilot, who was traveling in the passenger cabin, was among the first to react when the cockpit door was forced open, helping other crew members wrestle the attacker to the ground before the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk.
Investigation teams in Israel, the UAE and Saudi Arabia will now review security protocols, and the legal proceedings against al‑Hammami are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.