Flydubai Co-Pilot's Alleged Plot to Hijack Flight to Israel Revealed

The captain of a Flydubai flight has detailed the terrifying moments he was attacked by his co-pilot with an axe, an incident that authorities believe was part of a plot to hijack the aircraft and crash it into Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport. The co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, 29, allegedly asked Captain Smit Machchhar to pray before striking him in the back of the head.

During the flight on its way to Israel, al-Hammami reportedly made the request to pray, which Captain Machchhar found unremarkable. "Suddenly, after four or five minutes, there was a big blow to the back of my head," Machchhar recounted to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "My first thought was that there was catastrophic damage to the aircraft. But after that, the blows kept coming, one after the other. That’s when I realized it’s not the aircraft, it’s the other guy who was in the cockpit with me."

Machchhar sustained severe injuries and was losing his vision as the plane plummeted 14,000 feet in just 29 seconds. He recounted his struggle to open the cockpit door, with al-Hammami preventing him. "I had one last fight left in me. If I don’t do it, I’m going to die," Machchhar said, summoning the strength to open the door to waiting passengers and crew.

Heroic passengers and crew members grappled with al-Hammami, eventually restraining him and regaining control of the aircraft. The flight was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing.

Alleged Motives and Past Actions

Sources claim that during interrogation, al-Hammami revealed a long-held ambition to crash the plane into Ben-Gurion Airport. He reportedly traveled to the airport on multiple occasions, including in July, to gather intelligence for his plot. He allegedly aborted a previous attempt in July because a crew member he knew was on board.

Israeli intelligence suggests al-Hammami planned to kill Captain Machchhar from behind the locked cockpit door before continuing to Tel Aviv. His intention was reportedly to fly the aircraft into one of the Azrieli Towers near Israel's military headquarters, mirroring the September 11, 2001 attacks. The attack was allegedly planned to occur over Jordan, leaving minimal time for intervention by Israeli fighter jets.

Al-Hammami, who was born in the UAE and holds Omani nationality, had reportedly expressed extremist views online, including sentiments that women should be "stomped on." He also reportedly worked as a trainee with Oman's national airline in 2024 but was removed from flying duties due to concerns about potential radicalization from time spent in Syria. His application to work with Royal Air Maroc in 2025 was also rejected after three months of training.

Investigation and Background Checks

Authorities are investigating whether al-Hammami acted as a lone wolf or had connections to extremist groups. Standard security checks conducted before his hiring by Flydubai reportedly focused on criminal convictions rather than deeper background examinations for signs of radicalization. The UAE is leading the investigation into the incident.

The flight, carrying 182 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, transmitted an emergency signal of 7700, later changing to 7500, indicating unlawful interference or hijacking. Officials expressed fears that the incident could have resulted in an "Israeli 9/11" had passengers and crew not intervened. Captain Machchhar has since been visited by Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, while recovering from his injuries. Al-Hammami has been transferred from Saudi Arabia to the UAE and is reportedly cooperating with investigators.