UAE says flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with axe on Israel-bound flight
The co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 to Israel attacked the captain with a crash axe on Wednesday, according to the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general, who described it as an attempted terrorist attack. Media outlets named the co-pilot as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, with spellings varying. The Wall Street Journal reported that Oman had earlier banned him from flying over concerns about his ideological views and that flydubai later hired him.
Key facts
The UAE prosecutor general said the co-pilot of flight FZ1073 used a crash axe to attempt a terrorist attack.845
The Wall Street Journal reported that Oman had banned the co-pilot from flying over concerns about his ideological views before flydubai hired him.2678
The co-pilot was identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, also spelled Hammam al-Hamami.254
The captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, described the attack from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi in a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to a video Modi shared.10
The flight from Dubai to Israel made an emergency landing after the attack.398
How it was covered
- Left
- Left-leaning outlets included questions about background checks, the co-pilot's reported social media posts, and political criticism of Netanyahu in Israel.
- Right
- Right-leaning outlets emphasised Oman's earlier flying ban and an Israeli former pilot's explanation of the emergency landing and prevention steps.
Sources (12)
How this story was made
Written and checked by Claude from 12 articles by 9 outlets · How Boring works
Boring’s stories are written and checked by AI, from the outlets’ own headlines and summaries. Every fact links to the outlets that reported it.
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