Suspect in mid‑air attack on FlyDubai Flight 1073 named as Omani national Hamam al‑Hammami

 

The co-pilot who is alleged to have stabbed his captain and attempted to crash the Israel-bound FlyDubai Flight 1073 is an Omani national identified as Hamam al-Hammami.

On September 30, 2026, during a flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, al-Hammami stabbed the aircraft's captain, Smit Machchhar, and directed the Boeing 737 Max 8 into a steep descent, resulting in a loss of thousands of feet of altitude within seconds.

Despite sustaining severe injuries, Captain Machchhar was able to unlock the cockpit door. Passengers and an off-duty crew member responded promptly, subdued al-Hammami, and stabilized the aircraft. Two off-duty pilots who were aboard assumed control of the aircraft and executed a safe emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

According to investigation findings disclosed by a news outlet, al-Hammami had previously been prohibited from flying by civil aviation authorities in Oman due to concerns regarding his adoption of radicalized, extremist ideological perspectives. Notwithstanding this prior prohibition, he was subsequently employed by FlyDubai.

Authorities continue their investigation into the precise motivation, and it remains unconfirmed whether the incident on FlyDubai Flight 1073 constituted a coordinated terror attack or a suicide attempt.

FlyDubai issued a statement respectfully requesting that the public and media refrain from speculating about the underlying circumstances until authorities complete their formal investigation.

In a similar context, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, "As time passes, the picture is becoming clearer; the attacker underwent Islamist radicalization. He came to crash the plane with its passengers," Netanyahu remarked in a statement Friday. "We are investigating whether he was dispatched, and whoever sent him will face very serious consequences."

Meanwhile, in the United States, when asked by reporters at the White House regarding potential connections between the Omani co-pilot and Tehran, Trump responded, "Based on what I'm hearing, the answer is yes, but we're working on it right now.