UAE Probe Labels FlyDubai Cockpit Ax Attack a Terrorist Act

A United Arab Emirates investigation of the near-catastrophic FlyDubai flight said the co-pilot attempted “to carry out a terrorist act” as more details emerged about what happened in the cockpit. The co-pilot used a crash ax in the attack on the pilot and then attempted to seize control of the plane that was en route to Tel Aviv from Dubai, UAE federal prosecutor Hamad Al Shamsi said in a statement published Saturday on state-run WAM news agency. The attacker is an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami, the Associated Press reported Saturday, citing three people with knowledge of the matter. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously said the co-pilot was from Oman, though the airline and the UAE government haven’t confirmed that. The co-pilot’s nationality is in the spotlight because Oman and Israel don’t have formal diplomatic ties, restricting their citizens’ access to the other country. Israel’s Transportation Minister Miriam Regev called it a “a clear breach of the agreement” and asked its security agency Shin Bet to investigate, according to the Jerusalem Post. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 on Saturday that a “great many things” are still unknown, including whether the attacker had a second citizenship. The attacker’s goals included harming relations between Israel and the UAE, he added. The investigation into Flight FZ1073 is still seeking to determine possible motives behind the operation and any parties it might be linked to, Al Shamsi said. Technical tests of physical and digital evidence are also being carried out, he said. The confirmation of the weapon used in the attack is also important, as reports of it being a pocket knife had raised additional questions about crew security checks and how a pilot could have snuck it in. A crash ax is a standard safety requirement in the cockpit for use in emergency situations. Both pilots were transferred to the UAE from Saudi Arabia on Friday for questioning. The Boeing Co. 737 Max aircraft that was carrying more than 170 passengers made an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport after narrowly avoiding a catastrophe when it was reported to have plunged steeply. The co-pilot had been banned by Oman from flying over concerns he’d adopted radical ideological views, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. Photograph: A plane carrying passengers from an earlier Flydubai flight that was diverted to Saudi Arabia arrives at Ben Gurion Airport in Tzafria, Israel on Sept. 30, 2026; photo cerdit: Erik Marmor/Getty Images Related: Passengers Avert Crash Tackling Pilot Who Stabbed Colleague Flydubai Near-Disaster Brings Pilot Suicides Back Into Focus Copyright 2026 Bloomberg. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters