Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing at Tabuk on September 30 after a cockpit attack and steep descent; Captain Smit Machchhar opened the cockpit door, passengers subdued the co-pilot, and reserve pilots landed the aircraft. UAE prosecutors said the Omani co-pilot planned to attack Ben Gurion Airport’s passenger terminal, while accounts differ over whether he used a knife or a crash axe. Trump said he believed Iran was responsible; Iran rejected the allegation, and Israel’s foreign minister said Israel had no proof of an Iranian link.
Summary written by our automated pipeline from the outlets' reporting. How it works
38 outlets in 24 countries, 11 relaying others' reporting
In their own words
Grouped by where each speaker is from. Quotation marks are the speaker's own words; other lines are our summaries.
Passengers aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073
Yaniv Hayun, Passenger
“I grabbed the terrorist, put him in a hold, and first of all pulled him outside”
Experts said the Boeing 737 MAX's strong structure, multiple safety systems, and testing under extreme conditions during certification played an important role in its survival.
Flydubai said a passenger aircraft traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing at an airport in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia, on September 30.
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.
Israeli officials · our summary of The Korea Herald, via Reuters
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.
Reported October 2: Gideon Sa’ar described the incident as a terror attempt with jihadist characteristics and said Israel had no proof of an Iranian link.
The attorney-general said investigators had found that the co-pilot attempted an attack aboard flight FZ1073.
Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, UAE attorney general · our summary of Xinhua, via Emirates News Agency
The co-pilot attacked the captain with a crash axe in the cockpit and attempted to take control of the aircraft.
Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, UAE attorney general · our summary of Xinhua, via Emirates News Agency
The prosecutor general said the co-pilot attacked the pilot with a crash axe and tried to take control of the aircraft.
Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, UAE attorney general · our summary of The Hindu
2026-10-04
Reported October 4: Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei rejected allegations linking Iran to the Flydubai incident and called them a false-flag operation based on fabricated evidence.
On October 9, the UAE attorney general said the co-pilot had planned an attack on Ben Gurion Airport’s passenger terminal, inspired by the September 11 attacks.
“…established that the co-pilot, an Omani national, had attempted to carry out a premeditated terrorist act.”
United Arab Emirates Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, UAE attorney general · quoted in TASS, via WAM
“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”
United Arab Emirates Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, UAE attorney general · quoted in TASS, via WAM
Al Shamsi said the suspect was inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks and resolved to carry out a similar operation using an airplane.
Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, UAE attorney general · our summary of Yonhap News Agency, via WAMAs quoted in Korean, with a machine translation
“그는 2001년 9월 11일 테러 공격에서 영감을 받아 비행기를 이용해 유사한 작전을 수행하겠다는 생각을 굳혔다”
Machine translation: “He was inspired by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and became determined to carry out a similar operation using an airplane”
2026-10-19
Reported October 19: Machchhar recalled struggling to open the cockpit door, whose opening let passengers and fellow pilots enter and subdue the co-pilot.
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 Palestine didn't cover it. No statements from the government or officials of Palestine are in our sources.
The UAE attorney general said the co-pilot planned a premeditated attack on Ben Gurion Airport’s passenger terminal, inspired by the September 11 attacks.
Sources (3)
“…established that the co-pilot, an Omani national, had attempted to carry out a premeditated terrorist act.”
United Arab Emirates Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, UAE attorney general · quoted in TASS, via WAM
“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”
United Arab Emirates Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, UAE attorney general · quoted in TASS, via WAM
Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, UAE attorney general · our summary of Yonhap News Agency, via WAM
As quoted in Korean, with a machine translation
“그는 2001년 9월 11일 테러 공격에서 영감을 받아 비행기를 이용해 유사한 작전을 수행하겠다는 생각을 굳혔다”
Machine translation: “He was inspired by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and became determined to carry out a similar operation using an airplane”
Early passenger accounts described a knife attack, while the UAE attorney general said the co-pilot used a crash axe.
Esmaeil Baqaei, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson · our summary of Tehran Times
“To be 100 percent clear, we don't have for now proofs they were after this attack”
Gideon Sa'ar, Israel's foreign minister · quoted in NDTV
How coverage differed
Early international and wire-based reports: They focused on the emergency alert, initial fears of a hijacking, and the limited information available early in the investigation.
Israeli media and officials: They emphasized the alleged terror motive, the passengers’ intervention, and questions about Israeli screening and security oversight.
UAE and WAM-based coverage: It foregrounded the UAE investigation and the attorney general’s findings; several reports relayed the same state-news-agency account rather than independently confirming it.