FlyDubai co-pilot attacked the flight commander during the flight

The co-pilot of a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv attacked captain Smith Machchhar using a crash ax from the cockpit and attempted to take control of the plane in a "terrorist attack". As reported by the state agency WAM, the UAE Prosecutor General stated this.

“The co-pilot carried out his plan during the flight: he attacked the crew chief in the cockpit using a crash ax and attempted to take over control of the aircraft,” UAE Attorney General Hamad Seif al-Shamsi said.

According to the New York Times, emergency axes are typically kept in airplane cockpits in case of emergencies. Experts say they are often placed in the cockpit behind the co-pilot's seat.

It was initially reported that Machchhara may have been stabbed.

The UAE Prosecutor General did not disclose the identity of the co-pilot. Israeli authorities previously said he was an Omani citizen.

The co-pilot was identified as an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami, sources told The Associated Press and Reuters.

A Gulf diplomat told the AP that an investigation was underway to determine whether he acted “alone or has any links to extremist groups.”

Hamam Al Hammami completed a three-year distance learning course at Buckinghamshire New University in the UK and graduated with a diploma in Aviation Management in 2023. The university clarified that he did not undergo any flight training at this educational institution.

While working for Oman Air, al-Hammami was removed from flight training over concerns about his radical views and given another position at Oman's national airline, US media reported.

The co-pilot was banned from flying in Oman over concerns he held extremist views, but was subsequently hired by UAE-based airline FlyDubai, the AP source said. It is not yet known how thoroughly his candidacy was checked when hiring. The fact that Omani authorities banned him from entering the country was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

On Friday, the crew commander, Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, during a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the first time since the incident, spoke about what happened in the cockpit before he managed to open the door.

“I was lying on the floor wounded, but I told myself that I had to make one last effort and open the door from the inside,” he said. — So that other people enter the cabin and also help take control of the situation. Of course, I fought for my own life, but at the same time I understood that I would not allow others to die.”

An Israeli doctor who provided first aid to Machchhar on board previously said that the pilot lost a lot of blood.

“I try not to think of this as a wound, because then it would be even harder to recover,” Machchhar said. “I look at this as a path that I’m gradually going through and that will take time. But I am confident that I will recover and be healthy again.”

Modi told the commander that his “courage, endurance and ability to make quick decisions saved the lives of many people.”

The incident occurred on board a Flydubai flight on Wednesday.

About two hours after the start of the flight, the airliner abruptly lost more than 17 thousand feet (5.2 km) of altitude.

One of the passengers, accompanying her young daughter to the toilet, heard a noise in the cockpit and attracted the attention of other passengers and crew.

It soon became clear that there was a struggle going on inside the cabin.

As the plane continued to lose altitude, the door suddenly gave way, allowing several Israelis to neutralize the co-pilot, who had attacked the crew commander and, according to eyewitnesses, was trying to disable the plane's control panel.