Flydubai cockpit attack prompts investigation and scrutiny of co-pilot’s past

In their own words

Grouped by where each speaker is from. Quotation marks are the speaker's own words; other lines are our summaries.

Where accounts differ

Points where outlets or parties give conflicting facts or readings. Each side is summarised by our pipeline; its sources are listed under it.

Other voices

Reactions from other countries and bodies, others involved, and commentary.

Timeline

1. 2017

   UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said signs of the co-pilot’s drift toward extremism first emerged in 2017 while he was studying in Australia.

   Sources: BBC News (via WAM)

   Supporting statements

   “The findings indicated that signs of his drift towards extremism and terrorism first emerged in 2017, while he was studying in Australia”

2. 2024

   Officials cited by ABC said extremist-related material was found during the co-pilot’s training at Oman Air in 2024; he was suspended from flying duties but allowed to remain in an administrative role.

   Sources: The Hankyoreh (via ABC)

   Supporting statements

   Officials cited by ABC said Hamam Al Hammami was found with material related to extremism while training as a co-pilot at Oman Air in 2024.

   Officials cited by ABC said he was suspended from flying duties but allowed to remain with the company in an administrative role.

3. 2026-09-30

   Flydubai said the flight-deck incident occurred on September 30. Flight FZ1073 sent emergency codes and descended sharply before diverting to Tabuk, where passengers and crew intervened and other pilots landed it safely.

   Sources: NDTV · NDTV · NDTV · The Korea Herald (via Reuters) · Meduza (via The Telegraph)

   Supporting statements

   flydubai said the incident took place on September 30 and involved the flight deck.

   Flydubai flight FZ1073, which was bound for Tel Aviv, diverted to Tabuk after broadcasting an emergency squawk code on 30 September.

   Flight tracking data showed FZ1073 descended 17,400 feet in just under two minutes.

   Passengers overpowered and restrained the co-pilot and tied his hands behind his back.

   Israeli officials said passengers and crew entered the cockpit and restrained the co-pilot, enabling a second pair of flydubai pilots to land the jet in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

   Pilots from the relief crew, who were traveling in the passenger cabin, took control of the aircraft and managed to land it in Saudi Arabia.

4. 2026-10-01

   The South China Morning Post reported that the investigation into the suspect was launched on October 1.

   Sources: South China Morning Post (via WAM)

   Supporting statements

   The investigation into the suspect was launched on October 1.

5. 2026-10-03

   On October 3, the UAE prosecutor general said investigators had found the co-pilot attacked the captain with a crash axe and attempted to take control.

   Sources: The Hindu

   Supporting statements

   The prosecutor general said the co-pilot attacked the pilot with a crash axe and tried to take control of the aircraft.

6. 2026-10-05

   Reported October 5: Yonhap said the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team was investigating the co-pilot’s links to Australia and planned to examine whether his studies there influenced radicalization.

   Sources: Yonhap News Agency (via Reuters, Bloomberg, ABC) · Yonhap News Agency

   Supporting statements

   The Victorian joint counterterrorism team said it was investigating links between the deputy pilot and Australia.

   The joint counterterrorism team planned to investigate whether al-Hammami became radicalized while in Australia and to announce relevant findings in due course.

7. 2026-10-09

   On October 9, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the investigation established that the co-pilot had attempted a premeditated terrorist attack on Ben Gurion Airport’s passenger terminal, aiming to cause the greatest possible number of casualties.

   Sources: TASS (via WAM)

   Supporting statements

   “…established that the co-pilot, an Omani national, had attempted to carry out a premeditated terrorist act.”

   “He intended to take control of the aircraft and use it to carry out a suicide attack on the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv”

   “…with the aim of causing the greatest possible number of casualties”

8. 2026-10-17

   Machchhar gave his first media interview since the incident on October 17 local time, describing the axe attack.

   Sources: Yonhap News Agency (via Sky News Arabia)

   Supporting statements

   This is the captain's first media interview since the incident.

   The captain said the co-pilot struck the back of his head with an emergency axe.

9. 2026-10-19

   Reported October 19: Clarín reported that UAE prosecutors accused the co-pilot of developing extremist ideas while studying in Melbourne and said Abu Hamza influenced him; the imam denied that attribution.

   Sources: Clarín (via La Vanguardia)

   Supporting statements

   The Emirati prosecution accuses the co-pilot of a tendency toward extremism and terrorism that began in 2017 while he studied in Melbourne.

   The Emirati prosecution claims the co-pilot was influenced by extremist ideas from a Lebanese imam called Abu Hamza.

   The imam himself denied the extremist influence attributed to him.

Coverage

Each outlet's headline, linked to its article. Non-English headlines are machine-translated. The groupings and notes on what each outlet emphasises are automated.

None of our outlets is based in United Arab Emirates or Oman. Our outlets in Australia didn't cover it.

More detail

Written by our automated pipeline from the statements in the coverage; each point lists the statements it rests on.