The United Arab Emirates’ prosecutor general on Saturday described an incident aboard a flydubai flight as an attempted “terrorist” attack, stating the co-pilot assaulted the pilot with a crash axe inside the cockpit. The incident occurred on Wednesday, September 30, on flight FZ1073, which was traveling from the UAE to Israel before being diverted to Saudi Arabia.
In a statement carried by the state news agency WAM, UAE Prosecutor General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the co-pilot attacked the pilot and attempted to take control of the aircraft. This was the first official statement from Emirati authorities characterizing the event as a terrorism-related incident. Al Shamsi confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine the circumstances, motives, and any related connections, as well as to examine physical and digital evidence.
A source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters the co-pilot was identified as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national. UAE authorities have not publicly confirmed his identity.
According to reports, passengers and crew members subdued the co-pilot after the attack. A reserve flydubai pilot who was traveling as a passenger took control of the aircraft and landed it at Tabuk Regional Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities then detained the co-pilot.
Flydubai issued a statement noting that the circumstances are under investigation. A spokesperson said the airline was “not in a position to comment further.”
An Israeli government official told Reuters that Israeli investigators would participate in the UAE-led investigation.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel was looking into whether the co-pilot had acted under anyone’s direction, adding that anyone involved would pay a “heavy price.” The previous day, Netanyahu said the co-pilot, whom he also identified as an Omani national, appeared to have undergone “radical Islamist indoctrination” and seemed suicidal, but noted that a motive had not been formally established. Most of the more than 170 passengers and crew on board the flight were Israeli nationals.
Data from the flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed the aircraft descended approximately 16,625 feet in just over 30 seconds while over Saudi Arabia.
