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Flydubai Flight 1073

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Flydubai Flight 1073
A6-FKF, the aircraft involved in the incident
Incident
Date30 September 2026 (2026-09-30)
SummarySuspected hijacking, terrorism, and suicide attempt; under investigation
Site
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 737 MAX 8
OperatorFlydubai
IATA flight No.FZ1073
ICAO flight No.FDB1073
Call signSKYDUBAI 1073
RegistrationA6-FKF
Flight originDubai International Airport, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
DestinationBen Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel
Occupants180
Passengers174
Crew6
Fatalities0
Injuries6+
Survivors180

Flydubai Flight 1073 was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight operated by Flydubai from Dubai International Airport in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel. On 30 September 2026, while en route, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 experienced what Israeli and UAE officials have called an attempted terrorist attack.

According to passenger reports, the first officer, Hamam al-Hammami, attacked and seriously wounded the captain, Smit Machchhar, with the cockpit crash axe. Al-Hammami then sent the plane into a steep descent, in an apparent attempt to hijack and crash it. This caused structural damage to the aircraft's rudder due to overspeed. The captain was able to open the cockpit door to let in passengers, who restrained the first officer and stabilized the plane. Other Flydubai pilots deadheading on board then landed the plane in Tabuk. Al-Hammami was taken into custody after the landing. The incident is under investigation primarily by law enforcement agencies from Israel and the UAE. Images of former al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and suicide bomber Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi were found on al-Hammami's social media. He reportedly planned to crash the plane into a Tel Aviv skyscraper, or into Ben Gurion Airport.

Background

Aircraft

The aircraft involved in the incident was a Boeing 737 MAX 8, registered as A6-FKF. The plane entered service with Flydubai on 21 December 2022. At the time of the incident, the aircraft was approximately three years and nine months old.[1] Flydubai is owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai.[2]

Passengers and crew

There were 174 passengers, including 150 Israeli citizens,[3] and 6 crew members onboard.[4][5]

The crew included two operating pilots: an Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, who was the pilot flying, and Hamam al-Hammami,[6][7][a][b] an Omani first officer who was the pilot monitoring.[8] Machchhar, age 38,[9] trained as a pilot at Mainland Air in Dunedin, New Zealand,[10] and flew for SpiceJet for 11 years before joining Flydubai in 2022.[11] At the time of the incident he had logged about 9,750 hours on the Boeing 737 series, 6,400 of them as pilot-in-command.[12]

The crew also included two deadheading pilots in the passenger cabin[5] in order to operate the return flight back to Dubai:[13] one British,[13] and the other European from an unspecified country.[14]

Middle Eastern conflict

Due to the ongoing conflict across the Middle East, several Western airlines reduced flights to Israel, but the airlines of the UAE continued to provide multiple flights each day between Dubai and Tel Aviv.[24]

On 29 September, the day before Flydubai Flight 1073, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had received indications that Israel might be attacked ahead of the upcoming legislative election on 27 October. Political opponents dismissed the statement as "fearmongering".[25][26] Opposition leader Yair Lapid was briefed shortly thereafter and denounced Netanyahu's warning and insisted there was no reason to panic.[26] Lapid later stated, "Nothing even remotely resembling the [Flydubai Flight 1073] incident came up in the security briefing."[27]

Incident

Flight telemetry showing the aircraft entering a steep dive at 05:20 (UTC; Gulf time is four hours ahead)

Flight 1073 departed from Dubai at 7:05 a.m. GST traveling west to Tel Aviv.[4] The flight was scheduled to be three and one-half hours, and the incident started roughly an hour before its expected arrival.[28][29] While flying near the Saudi Arabia–Jordan border at 9:21 a.m. GST,[30] the aircraft plunged from an altitude of approximately 34,000 ft (10,000 m) to 17,000 ft (5,200 m) in less than a minute,[31][32] diving towards the ground at speeds estimated at 600 miles per hour (970 km/h).[33] The plane briefly rose to 21,750 ft (6,600 m), before descending again to 15,000 ft (4,600 m) and turning back into Saudi airspace.[3][34] Shortly after the initial dive, the aircraft's transponder broadcast squawk code 7700, indicating a general emergency, and shortly thereafter broadcast code 7500, indicating "unlawful interference" or a hijacking.[35]

Based on initial assessments by authorities and video and eyewitness accounts from passengers, al-Hammami, the first officer, stabbed and seriously wounded the captain, Smit Machchhar, using the crash axe kept in the cockpit,[36] in an alleged attempt to gain control of the aircraft and crash it.[37] In a televised interview with Netanyahu, Machchhar said "The co-pilot wanted to pray. A lot of the locals, they do pray, which is not out of the ordinary. While he was praying, out of respect, I was just looking at the front and not at the back – and suddenly after about four, five minutes, there was a big blow to the back of my head."[38] The sound of the struggle alerted Tali Manes, a mother waiting for her daughter to finish using the nearby lavatory.[20][39] Tali informed her husband, Tzvika Manes, sitting in the front row, and one of the two deadheading pilots on board.[20] Meanwhile, Machchhar managed to click the release to open the cockpit door from the inside, which otherwise would have been difficult to penetrate.[40][41] Tzvika saw Machchhar fall out of the cockpit with the first officer "on top of him, stabbing him" as the plane began to dive.[20][18]

One of the deadheading pilots (identified by the passengers as "James"),[21] Tzvika, and other passengers, including Yaniv Hayun, Shota Musayev, and Asaf Rajuan then attempted to enter the cockpit,[18][21] which Hayun said was difficult because the captain's body was resting against the door.[42] They then overpowered al-Hammami, who was allegedly attempting to disable or damage the flight controls, and removed him from the cockpit.[43] Hayun stated that he pulled back on the yoke to level the plane, based on the knowledge learned from watching the Canadian documentary series Mayday.[44] The deadheading pilot "James" then took over,[5][18][45][46] and was later joined by the other deadheading pilot.[3] Al-Hammami was initially restrained with headphone wires,[22] and reportedly yelled "Kill me, kill me";[47][48] he was later restrained with cable ties.[49] Musayev, a dentist, treated the captain's injuries.[22]

Upon receiving the hijacking code and being unable to contact the flight for 30 minutes,[17] the Israeli Air Force scrambled fighter jets.[3][34] Under certain conditions, and with the approval of the Israeli prime minister, Israeli Air Force protocol calls for a rogue flight approaching Israel to be shot out of the sky.[50] The aircraft continued west into Jordanian airspace before turning around and heading back toward Saudi Arabia,[51] at which point the fighter jets were recalled.[50] After an hour flying at its new altitude of 15,000 ft (4,600 m), the plane landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia at 10:45 a.m. GST (9:45 a.m. SAST).[31][35][52] Photographs taken after the landing showed that most of the aircraft's rudder was missing; it had likely detached during the rapid descent when the plane exceeded its maximum design speed.[3]

Upon landing, al-Hammami was arrested by Saudi authorities.[3] Both injured pilots were taken to nearby hospitals.[49] The captain was in serious condition after sustaining deep cuts to the head and hands;[49] his condition was later reported to be stable.[53][54] Musayev said that he feared that if the landing had been delayed by even a few more moments, the captain would not have survived.[55] One passenger was also hospitalized, and some passengers required bandages for minor injuries, but most passengers were physically unharmed.[56]

Investigation

Al-Hammami is an Omani national[57] who had worked for the airline since February 2026.[58] He was 29 years old at the time of the incident, and was born to an Omani father and Syrian mother.[58] According to Netanyahu, "he was suicidal, that's not a question" and interrogation revealed he had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination.[48] According to Saudi television station Al Arabiya, he was radicalized while in Syria.[59] Under its agreement with Israel, Flydubai was obligated to exclude Omani pilots from any of its Israeli operations because Oman and Israel do not have diplomatic relations.[60]

In 2024, extremist material had been found in al-Hammami's possession while he worked for Oman Air.[61] Oman Air suspended him from piloting because he had radical ideological views,[62][61] assigned him an administrative role, and enrolled him in a deradicalization program,[62][61] but Oman Air did not share its concerns more broadly.[58]

On 1 October 2026, al-Hammami was transferred to the UAE,[63] which launched an investigation into the incident, the motive, the weapon used,[64] and any possible link to terrorism.[65] Israel joined the investigation.[66] ABC News reported that Al-Hammami was cooperating with UAE authorities, and indicated he had intended to crash the aircraft in Israel.[61] Law enforcement agencies from Saudi Arabia and the United States are monitoring the investigation.[67][8][68]

On 2 October, images of former al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and triple agent suicide bomber Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi were discovered on al-Hammami's social media.[6]

On 4 October, the Australian Federal Police confirmed an investigation by a counterterrorism team to determine whether al-Hammami became radicalized while on a student visa in Australia between 2015 and 2017.[69] Also on 4 October, The Times of Israel reported that al-Hamami had intended to crash the plane into a Tel Aviv skyscraper or Ben Gurion Airport.[70][71]

On 5 October, The Wall Street Journal reported that Flydubai had performed a criminal-background check on al-Hammami when he was hired, but did not contact Oman to vet his experience, and that he had flown to Israel on multiple occasions.[58] Al-Hamami reportedly told his interrogators that he acted in retaliation for the Gaza war and wished to die as a martyr.[72]

Aftermath

Captain Smit Machchhar described his actions during the flight in a call with prime minister of India Narendra Modi, as he recovered in hospital in the United Arab Emirates.[73][74][75]

In an official statement, Flydubai confirmed that an "incident" had occurred during the flight, noting that the plane landed safely in Tabuk and that all passengers were secure.[76][77] A second statement cited "an altercation" on the flight deck, called the motives unknown, and said on-duty crew travelling on the flight landed the aircraft.[19]

Saudi Arabia, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel, refused a request to allow Israeli military aircraft to retrieve Israeli passengers from Tabuk;[78] instead, Flydubai sent two replacement aircraft to Tabuk to fly the passengers to Tel Aviv.[79][80][19]

Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz held a security consultation, and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff Eyal Zamir held a situational assessment with commander of the Israeli Air Force Omer Tischler and other senior military officials.[4][35][81] Israeli and UAE officials called it an attempted terrorist attack,[82][83][84] and Netanyahu said that it was too early to establish who was behind the attack.[85] Netanyahu and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi both praised Captain Machchhar.[86][87]

Netanyahu announced new security measures in response to the incident.[81] Following Israeli transport minister Miri Regev's advice, Israel suspended all Flydubai flights to the country for six days.[88] The UAE agreed to Israel's security demands, allowing El Al, Arkia, and Israir to resume flights after being restricted by Israeli security forces for the preceding six months over unresolved security concerns stemming from the Middle Eastern conflict.[89][90] The three airlines announced that they would resume service to Dubai on 2 October to bring back Israelis remaining there; El Al's landing slot was delayed until 3 October.[91]

On the morning of 1 October, the captain and first officer were flown from Saudi Arabia to the UAE after they were medically cleared for travel.[92][93] The captain continued to receive medical treatment in the UAE.[92] The same day, U.S. president Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran "very hard" if it was behind the thwarted attack, suggesting that the Omani first officer was linked to Tehran "based on what I'm hearing," but did not provide further details.[94][95]

On 2 October, Anwar Gargash, Emirati senior adviser to UAE president Mohammed bin Zayed, became the first senior Emirati official to publicly state the incident was an "act of terrorism".[96]

On 4 October, the Israeli government said that it does not independently vet foreign pilots,[97] but relies on international airlines confirming that they have vetted the pilots in accordance with international standards.[98] The same day, Netanyahu ordered "a thorough review" of security procedures for international flights to Israel.[99]

False flag conspiracy theories

Shortly after the incident, social media posts speculating that the incident was an Israeli-planned false flag operation began circulating online.[100][101][102] The Antisemitism Research Center (ARC), an AI-powered social media mass surveillance project of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), stated that conspiracy theories were being spread as early as 67 minutes after the plane squawked an emergency signal (i.e., while the plane was still in the air), and that it was likely part of a coordinated propaganda campaign against Israel by Iranian and Russian state agencies. CAM issued a report stating that 2,963 of 4,136 social media reports collected in the 12-hour period after the hijacking included false flag conspiracy theories.[103] Oliver Marks, a surveillance analyst at ARC, said "this isn't a narrative that forms in response to an incident... it's part of a script that already exists, sitting ready for use whenever opportunities arise."[104]

Analysis

Richard J. Levy of Aviation Experts Consulting, a retired airline captain,[105] said that the wounded captain sending an emergency signal and managing to unlock the cockpit door while under attack was remarkable.[106][47] He also said it was astonishing that the aircraft was flyable after the rudder was ripped off.[106]

Sally Leivesley, an aviation security expert, estimated that the plane pulled out of its rapid descent with only five seconds to spare before recovery would have been impossible.[106]

ABC News contributor, former fighter pilot,[107] and retired colonel Steve Ganyard said it was extraordinary that "a passenger who'd done nothing more than watch television shows,... knew how to recover the airplane and pull just hard enough to recover the airplane, but not so hard that it would do [further] damage or destroy the airplane."[33]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Arabic: همّام الهمّامي, romanized: Hammām al-Hammāmiyy
  2. ↑ Not to be confused with the Saudi soccer player Hammam Al-Hammami

References

  1. ↑ "FlyDubai Flight Tracker Fleet". Plane Finder. Archived from the original on 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  2. ↑ "Law No. (24) of 2015 – Investment Corporation of Dubai". Government of Dubai. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Copilot subdued after stabbing pilot in alleged attempt to crash plane full of Israelis". The Times of Israel. 30 September 2026. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Ben Kimon, Elisha; Lifshitz-Kliger, Iris; Eichner, Itamar; Tamari, Liran (30 September 2026). מכות בין הטייסים: מטוס מדובאי לנתב"ג דיווח על חשש לחטיפה ונחת בסעודיה [Fistfight between the pilots: A flight from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport reported a suspected hijacking and landed in Saudi Arabia]. Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Klein, Zvika (30 September 2026). "Why were there two extra pilots aboard during the attempted flydubai hijacking?". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  6. 1 2 Al Lawati, Abbas; Shalev, Tal; Atwood, Kylie; Yee, Isaac; Schmitz, Avery; Bordeaux, Thomas; Rebane, Teele (2 October 2026). "Terrorist images found on Flydubai suspect's social media". CNN. Archived from the original on 3 October 2026. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
  7. ↑ Mitchell McCluskey; Tal Shalev (1 October 2026). "What happened inside the Flydubai flight to Israel?". CNN. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
  8. 1 2 Cornwell, Alexander; Lubell, Maayan (1 October 2026). "Israel's Netanyahu: Co-pilot of flydubai plane underwent radical Islamist indoctrination". Reuters. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  9. ↑ Pokharel, Krishna; Hassan, Aakash (1 October 2026). "The 38-Year-Old Captain Who Fought Off Cockpit Attack on FlyDubai Flight". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  10. ↑ "NZ-trained pilot stabbed on Israel-bound flight 'stood out' as student". 1News. 1 October 2026. Archived from the original on 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  11. ↑ "Who Is Smit Machchhar, Indian Pilot Who Fended Off Omani Co-Pilot Aboard Flydubai Flight". News18. 30 September 2026. Archived from the original on 30 September 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  12. ↑ "Who is Smit Machchhar? Indian captain who fought flydubai co-pilot to land flight safely". The Financial Express. 30 September 2026. Archived from the original on 30 September 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  13. 1 2 Berman, Lazar (1 October 2026). "Flydubai pilots who took control of plane were there in order to fly it back to UAE—report". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026. The two relief pilots—one of whom is British—who assumed control of flydubai flight 1073 yesterday and landed it safely following an attack by the copilot were on the plane in order to fly it back to Dubai from Tel Aviv
  14. 1 2 Holmes, Oliver (30 September 2026). "'Whoever is hearing me, we need help': how flight 1073 survived its 17,000ft plunge". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 October 2026. The relief pilots are European, one of them British, who entered [the cockpit] and pulled the aircraft up, pulled the yoke, stabilised the plane and landed us in Saudi Arabia.
  15. ↑ "Who is the Indian pilot who fought off his cockpit attacker?". The Washington Post. 1 October 2026. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  16. ↑ "Co-pilot planned flydubai attack before joining airline, two Israeli officials say". Reuters. 5 October 2026. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "What do we know about flydubai flight 1073?". Reuters. 2 October 2026. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Baskar, Pranav (1 October 2026). "FlyDubai Passenger Who Helped Subdue Pilot Describes Stabbing Attack in Cockpit". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 "Updates on FZ 1073 DXB-TLV on 30 September 2026". flydubai. 30 September 2026. Retrieved 6 October 2026. The aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport (TUU).
  20. 1 2 3 4 Drori, Aviv (30 September 2026). "How a woman's quick thinking and an Israeli executive's bravery saved Flydubai flight". Israel Hayom. Archived from the original on 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 Itzhaki, Michal Yaakov (1 October 2026). "Israeli passenger says he knew what to do on flydubai plane after watching TV show". Reuters. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  22. 1 2 3 "Back in Israel, passengers say midair 'miracles' thwarted alleged attempt to crash plane". The Times of Israel. 30 September 2026. ISSN 0040-7909. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  23. 1 2 "'Whoever is hearing me, we need help': how flight 1073 survived its 17,000ft plunge". The Guardian. 30 September 2026. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  24. ↑ Peled, Anat; Katz, Benjamin; Said, Summer (30 September 2026). "The Cockpit Stabbing and Terrifying Nosedive That Brought Chaos to FlyDubai Flight 1073". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  25. ↑ Kershner, Isabel (1 October 2026). "Israeli Politicians Trade Barbs Over FlyDubai Attack". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  26. 1 2 Berman, Lazar; Freiberg, Nava; Staff, ToI (29 September 2026). "Netanyahu claims indications of attack plot by 'enemies' ahead of election; Lapid, briefed, derides him". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Archived from the original on 29 September 2026. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  27. ↑ Karmel, Ariela (30 September 2026). "Flydubai attack becomes election flashpoint as opponents draw Oct. 7 parallels". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Archived from the original on 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  28. ↑ Holmes, Oliver (1 October 2026). "'Whoever is hearing me, we need help': how flight 1073 survived its 17,000ft plunge". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  29. ↑ "What happened on the diverted Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv?". Al Jazeera. 30 September 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  30. ↑ Moore, Henry (30 September 2026). "What we know about stabbing on Flydubai flight to Israel". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  31. 1 2 תוך פחות מדקה המטוס צלל מגובה של 34 אלף רגל לכ־17 אלף רגל: כל מה שידוע עד כה על טיסת "פליי דובאי" [In less than a minute the plane dived from 34,000 feet to about 17,000 feet: Everything known so far about the Flydubai flight]. Zman Yisrael (in Hebrew). 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  32. ↑ "What we know about the flydubai plane incident". The Times of Israel. 30 September 2026. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  33. 1 2 Pereira, Ivan. "FlyDubai's recovery from extreme deep dive during attack 'extraordinary': Aviation expert" Archived 2 October 2026 at the Wayback Machine, ABC News, 1 October 2026. Accessed 2 October 2026. "'This airplane is going 600 miles an hour, pointed at the ground, and a passenger on board is able to pull back on the yoke, and pull the nose up out of the dive, and not rip anything more than the rudder off the airplane', ABC News contributor and retired Col. Steve Ganyard said.... Ganyard said at that speed, the plane is going faster than what it was designed for and parts of the plane begin to rip off. Images of Flight 1073 showed parts of the rudder ripped off."
  34. 1 2 Hradecky, Simon (30 September 2026). "Accident: Flydubai B38M near Tabuk on Sep 30th 2026, fight in the cockpit, first officer under investigation for suspected suicide attempt". The Aviation Herald. Archived from the original on 30 September 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  35. 1 2 3 Fabian, Emanuel (30 September 2026). "Hijacking ruled out as flydubai flight to Tel Aviv that declared emergency lands at Saudi airport". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  36. ↑ Kipling, Ella (3 October 2026). "Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with axe, UAE official says". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 October 2026. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
  37. ↑ Kawoosa, Vijdan Mohammad; Ramos, Adrián Blanco (2 October 2026). "Minutes from disaster: inside flydubai 1073's plunge". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  38. ↑ Eichner, Itamar; Turgeman, Meir (3 October 2026). "'He prayed, then hit me': Flydubai captain recounts cockpit attack". Ynetglobal. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
  39. ↑ Halbfinger, David M.; Odenheimer, Natan; Rasgon, Adam; Reiss, Johnatan; Boxerman, Aaron (2 October 2026). "How FlyDubai Passengers and Crew Averted Disaster After Pilot Was Stabbed During Flight". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
  40. ↑ Yerushalmy, Jonathan; Ellis-Petersen, Hannah; Hassan, Aakash (1 October 2026). "'Hero' pilot, plumber and dentist among those who saved flydubai flight to Israel". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  41. ↑ Sharma, Yashraj. "Flydubai stabbing: How safe are planes if a pilot turns violent?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  42. ↑ Anna, Cara (1 October 2026). "A plumber and a dentist are praised as heroes in FlyDubai near-disaster". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  43. ↑ Eichner, Itamar (30 September 2026). "'I grabbed him, choked him and pulled the controls': Israeli recounts Flydubai cockpit fight". Ynetglobal. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  44. ↑ "'I watch Air Crash Investigation': Flydubai hero says TV show helped him take the controls". Ynetglobal. 30 September 2026. Archived from the original on 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  45. ↑ "Man who helped subdue knife-wielding suspect aboard flight to Tel Aviv honored". ABC News. 30 September 2026. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  46. ↑ "Wounded flydubai pilot used 'last moments of his energy' to click open cockpit door so hijacker could be subdued". The Times of Israel. 30 September 2026. ISSN 0040-7909. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  47. 1 2 Burke, Jason (2 October 2026). "Suicide by plane or terrorism? Speculation over motive in flight 1073 attack". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  48. 1 2 "Flydubai suspect 'underwent Islamist radical indoctrination,' Israel's PM says". CNN. 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  49. 1 2 3 "'Head, Hands Sliced Open, Almost Severed In Two': Dentist Recalls Stabbed FlyDubai Pilot's Fight For Life". News18. 30 September 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  50. 1 2 "Israel was prepared to shoot down FlyDubai plane after attack on captain, sources say - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 5 October 2026. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  51. ↑ "Inside FlyDubai's 4-hour ordeal: A cockpit fight, steep descents and alternating distress codes". Associated Press. 2 October 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  52. ↑ مطار تبوك: مغادرة جميع ركاب «فلاي دبي» إلى وجهتهم على متن طائرة بديلة [Tabuk Airport: All Flydubai passengers depart for their destination on a replacement aircraft.]. Okaz (in Arabic). 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  53. ↑ Moore, Henry (1 October 2026). "'Hero' pilot stabbed by other pilot on Israel-bound plane, Israeli PM says". BBC News. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  54. ↑ Zanger-Shamir, Maya (30 September 2026). "Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar reportedly aided rescue efforts while wounded". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  55. ↑ "The Lead with Jake Tapper". CNN Transcripts. CNN. 30 September 2026. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  56. ↑ O'Connell, Oliver; Venkatraman, Sakshi; Donnison, Jon; Shuval, Michael (30 September 2026). "Israel-Dubai flight: Netanyahu names 'hero' pilot attacked on flight as passengers arrive back in Israel". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  57. ↑ "'Immense courage and resolve': Pilot feted for crucial role in saving the lives of all aboard flydubai 1073". The Times of Israel. 1 October 2026. ISSN 0040-7909. Archived from the original on 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  58. 1 2 3 4 Said, Summer; Peled, Anat; Faucon, Benoit; al-Batati, Saleh (5 October 2026). "Multiple Security Failures Allowed FlyDubai Pilot Into Cockpit". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  59. ↑ Eichner, Itamar (3 October 2026). "Security failure deepens: Flydubai terrorist pilot may have flown to Israel before attack". Ynetglobal. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
  60. ↑ Perets, Byshir (30 September 2026). "Israel orders halt of flydubai flights over hijacking pilot's Omani background". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  61. 1 2 3 4 Faulders, Katherine; Hill, James; Margolin, Josh; Looft, Chris. "Suspect in FlyDubai incident was previously identified as security risk: Officials". ABC News. Archived from the original on 3 October 2026. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
  62. 1 2 Czerny, Milàn; al-Batati, Saleh; Peled, Anat (2 October 2026). "FlyDubai Attacker Had Been Banned From Flying by Oman for Radical Views". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  63. ↑ "What we're learning about the FlyDubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to crash the plane". CBS News. 3 October 2026. Archived from the original on 3 October 2026. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
  64. ↑ Cornwell, Alexander; Plucinska, Joanna; Cornwell, Alexander; Plucinska, Joanna (30 September 2026). "Israel to ramp up pilot checks after flydubai scare". Reuters. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  65. ↑ "U.A.E. announces investigation into FlyDubai stabbing". CBC News. 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  66. ↑ Kweller, Idan (1 October 2026). "Netanyahu: Israel to join flydubai probe, 'we'll find out' whether Iran was involved". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  67. ↑ Peled, Anat (30 September 2026). "Pilot-on-Pilot Stabbing Forces Emergency Landing of Israel-Bound Plane – Netanyahu describes incident as apparent attempt to crash the plane loaded with Israeli passengers". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  68. ↑ "Early indications suggest Flydubai co-pilot acted alone in attack, officials say". NBC News. 4 October 2026. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  69. ↑ Maxwell, Rudi; Tomevska, Sara (4 October 2026). "AFP confirms investigation of flydubai co-pilot's Australian links". ABC News. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  70. ↑ "Flydubai terrorist reportedly intended to slam plane into Tel Aviv skyscraper". The Times of Israel. 4 October 2026. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  71. ↑ "Report: Terrorist copilot meant to crash plane into Ben Gurion Airport, canceled July attack plan at last moment". The Times of Israel. 4 October 2026. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  72. ↑ "Israel does not believe other flydubai crew members had any involvement in Omani copilot's terror attack – report". The Times of Israel. 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026. The network also reports, without sourcing, that the Omani copilot who attacked the pilot and tried to crash the plane, which was carrying almost all Israeli passengers, has told his interrogators that he was acting "in revenge for Gaza," and "I wanted to die as a martyr."
  73. ↑ Castro, Amanda; Backus, Alex; Rhett Miller, Joshua (2 October 2026), "Who Is Captain Smit Machchhar? Flydubai Pilot Hailed as Hero", Newsweek, retrieved 2 October 2026
  74. ↑ Haworth, Jon; Gardiner, Charlotte; Pereira, Ivan; Jovanovic, Dada (2 October 2026), "'The last push, Smit': FlyDubai captain Smit Machchhar recounts harrowing cockpit attack - Machchhar spoke to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.", ABC News, archived from the original on 2 October 2026, retrieved 2 October 2026
  75. ↑ "Indian pilot tells PM Modi he opened flydubai cockpit door during attack", Reuters, 2 October 2026, retrieved 2 October 2026
  76. ↑ "Flydubai flight diverts to Saudi Arabia amid reports of pilot fight". AeroTime. 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  77. ↑ "פליי דובאי": לכל הנוסעים שהיו על הטיסה מדובאי לישראל – שלום ["Flydubai": All passengers on the flight from Dubai to Israel are safe]. Zman Yisrael (in Hebrew). 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  78. ↑ "Saudi Arabia turned down Israeli request to allow its planes to pick up Israeli passengers, security sources say". Reuters. 30 September 2026.
  79. ↑ Blumenthal, Itay; Cohen, Gili; Glick, Shahar; Zuaretz, Itzik; Brandes, Ram (30 September 2026). אחרי שעות מורטות עצבים: נוסעי "פליי דובאי" שבו ארצה [After many nerve-wracking hours, FlyDubai passengers return to Israel]. Kan News (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 30 September 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  80. ↑ Stein, Amichai; Genn, James; Bob, Yonah Jeremy; Klein, Zvika (30 September 2026). "Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv veers off course, lands in Saudi Arabia after hijacking scare". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  81. 1 2 "Will the flydubai attack save Netanyahu's struggling campaign?". The Times of Israel. 1 October 2026. Archived from the original on 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  82. ↑ Sanchez, Raf; Pinson, Shira; Clayton, Freddie; Winter, Tom; Dienst, Jonathan. "Flydubai pilot attacked captain with cockpit's crash ax in attempted terrorist attack, UAE official says". NBC News. Archived from the original on 3 October 2026. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
  83. ↑ "Flydubai co-pilot used axe in attempted 'terrorist attack', senior UAE official says". SBS News. 3 October 2026. Archived from the original on 3 October 2026. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
  84. ↑ Cornwell, Alexander; Amichay, Rami; Cornwell, Alexander (30 September 2026). "Israeli officials say diverted flydubai incident may be attempted 'terror attack'". Reuters. Archived from the original on 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  85. ↑ "Flydubai pilot investigated over possible attempt to crash Tel Aviv-bound flight". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 30 September 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  86. ↑ Netanyahu, Benjamin [@netanyahu] (30 September 2026). "My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery. Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster. He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals. I wish Captain Machchhar a speedy and full recovery. He is a true hero" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 October 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  87. ↑ Lama, Prawesh (1 October 2026). "'Prevented 9/11-type tragedy': PM Modi praises flydubai Indian pilot Smit Machchhar's courage, quotes Netanyahu". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 1 October 2026. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  88. ↑ Eichner, Itamar; Lifshitz-Klieger, Iris (30 September 2026). "Israel suspends Flydubai flights for 6 days after suspected terror attack". Ynetglobal. Archived from the original on 1 October 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  89. ↑ "Israeli airlines to resume Dubai flights after six month hiatus". Globes. 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  90. ↑ "Netanyahu, Sa'ar speak to Emirati counterparts, vow cooperation after flydubai attack". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  91. ↑ Reiss, Johnatan. "Airlines Set to Bring Israelis Back From U.A.E. After FlyDubai Cockpit Attack", The New York Times, 2 October 2026. Accessed 2 October 2026. "Several Israeli airlines on Friday were preparing special flights to bring Israelis back from Dubai, after a midair cockpit attack this week on a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv halted the only direct service between the two cities. Thousands of Israelis are estimated to have remained in Dubai since the attack on Wednesday, according to David Sasi, a spokesman for Miri Regev, the Israeli transportation minister.... Two Israeli airlines, Israir and Arkia, said Friday that they had obtained 'the required permissions' to land at Dubai's airport.... El Al, Israel’s flag carrier, said that it had been 'prepared to operate the special rescue flights' on Friday but that authorities had 'suddenly' canceled its permission."
  92. 1 2 "Netanyahu claims flydubai co-pilot underwent 'radical indoctrination'". ABC News. 1 October 2026. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  93. ↑ Czerny, Milàn; al-Batati, Saleh; Peled, Anat (2 October 2026). "Exclusive: FlyDubai Attacker Had Been Banned From Flying by Oman for Radical Views". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  94. ↑ Watson, Kathryn (1 October 2026). "Trump suggests FlyDubai co-pilot is linked to Iran, "based on what I'm hearing"". CBS News. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  95. ↑ "Trump threatens to hit Iran 'very hard' if Tehran found to be behind FlyDubai incident". CBC News. Associated Press. 1 October 2026. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  96. ↑ "In first, senior UAE official calls flydubai plane attack an 'act of terrorism'". The Times of Israel. 2 October 2026. ISSN 0040-7909. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  97. ↑ Karmel, Ariela; Berman, Lazar (4 October 2026). "Despite years of warnings, Transportation Ministry, required to check foreign flights, hasn't done so". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  98. ↑ "Israel's Transport Ministry says it doesn't conduct security checks, relies on airlines to screen foreign pilots". i24NEWS. 4 October 2026. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  99. ↑ "Netanyahu orders "a thorough review" of security procedures for international flights to Israel". The Times of Israel. 4 October 2026. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  100. ↑ Carter, Lucy; Workman, Micheal (1 October 2026). "Fake news and deepfakes about flydubai flight spreading online". ABC News. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  101. ↑ Stub, Zev (1 October 2026). "Conspiracy theories about flydubai attack spread across social media, reports find". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  102. ↑ Bahl, Vedika (1 October 2026). "Truth or Fake - AI deepfake of BBC report falsely links Indians to FlyDubai hijacking attempt". France 24. Archived from the original on 2 October 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  103. ↑ Smith, Lee (6 October 2026). "ARC Update: Antisemitic Conspiracy Theory Posts Get 85.9 Million Views in Four Days After Thwarted FlyDubai Hijacking". Combat Antisemitism Movement. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  104. ↑ Carson, Alex. "Watchdogs uncovered conspiracy theories blaming Israel for staging flydubai incident; Within an hour of the attempted hijacking of a flydubai headed for Tel Aviv, conspiracy theories began circulating online positing that Netanyahu and the Mossad staged the incident." Archived 2 October 2026 at the Wayback Machine, The Jerusalem Post, 1 October 2026. Accessed 1 October 2026. "Online conspiracy theories accusing Israel of orchestrating a false-flag operation began circulating on social media just over an hour after an attempted terrorist attack aboard an Israel-bound flydubai flight on Wednesday, according to antisemitism watchdogs.... The first post declaring the event an Israeli false flag appeared on X/Twitter 67 minutes after the emergency signal, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and Antisemitism Research Center (ARC) reported.... The ARC study tracked 4,136 posts containing the phrase 'false flag' over a 12-hour monitoring period. It identified 2,963 hostile posts that blamed Israel, the Mossad, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Zionists, or Jews for the incident. Conspiracy content escalated rapidly after the initial post, reaching 100 posts by 3:07 a.m. ET, 500 posts by 5:42 a.m. ET, 1,000 posts by 7:35 a.m. ET, and 2,000 posts by 9:36 a.m. ET, with volume continuing to rise until collection ended at 10:43 a.m. ET."
  105. ↑ "Aviation Expert Consulting | Professional Aviation Consultants". Aviation Expert Consulting. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  106. 1 2 3 Adam, Karla (2 October 2026). "Why Were 4 Pilots Aboard FlyDubai Flight 1073?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 3 October 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  107. ↑ "Former fighter pilot on rescue of US airman". ABC News. 6 April 2026.
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