The Omani co-pilot who on Sept. 30 attacked the captain of flydubai flight FZ1073, with 182 people on board, attempted to carry out a terrorist attack wielding a crash ax kept in the cockpit, the United Arab Emirates said on Saturday.
Emirati Prosecutor General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi was cited by the country’s state news agency as saying that the co-pilot used the ax to attack Capt. Smit Machchhar, of Indian origin, and send the Boeing 737 MAX 8 into deep dive, according to Reuters.
A crash ax is typically kept in the cockpit for emergency use.
The probe into flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, led by the UAE, is ongoing and the findings will be released once the “necessary procedures” have been finalized, the prosecutor general said.
News agencies on Friday named the terrorist as Hamam al-Hammami, with The Wall Street Journal first reporting that the Omani had been previously barred from flying in his own country due to concerns over his jihadist views.
It remains unclear whether Oman informed the government of Dubai, which owns flydubai, about al-Hammami’s radical views. Muscat has thus far kept silent over the incident.
The co-pilot had looked for employment for the Moroccan Royal Air Maroc airliner and had undergone a three-month training with the airliner in 2025, but his application was eventually rejected, Reuters reported. The circumstances over the rejection were not provided.
Two additional airliners rejected him before he was hired by flydubai, Ynet reported.
A Gulf diplomat told the Associated Press on Saturday that al-Hammami was scrutinized by flydubai for criminal charges but “signs of radicalization” were not examined.
The regional official noted the attacker is originally from the Emirates and his mother is Syrian. He obtained Omani nationality from his father. The diplomat further said that al-Hammami had traveled to Syria, but did not elaborate over possible jihadist activities there, according to AP.
Hebrew media reported that al-Hammami’s LinkedIn account posted a video nine hours after the attack, showing footage of Israeli airliners and ends with a depiction of slain al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
JNS could not confirm the existence of such a post.
Israel and Oman do not maintain diplomatic relations. Ynet reported on Saturday that Israeli authorities are checking whether al-Hammami had landed in Israel before the terrorist attack, which would constitute a serious security breach.
Flydubai captain: ‘I had to get up and act’
Meanwhile, Machchhar, who was seriously wounded by the terrorist, spoke publicly from his hospital bed on Friday for the first time, recounting the dramatic moments during a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I had so many injuries, but I told myself that I had to get up and act,” Machchhar said. “At that moment, I pushed myself to open the cockpit door. I fought for my life. I understood that if I did not show courage, 170 passengers would lose their lives.”
Modi praised the captain, telling him, “The entire country is praying for you. Your courage, composure and calm saved many lives.”
Despite Machchhar’s injuries, he managed to open the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew members to overpower the co-pilot. Two off-duty pilots aboard the aircraft then helped land it safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Emirati Deputy Prime Minister Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum paid a visit to the captain at the hospital on Saturday.
In an X post, Hamdan described Machchhar as embodying “the highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life.”
He continued, “We are proud that he is part of our team ..., part of the story of our nation ... and part of what the UAE stands for, ... a nation of compassion, ... a nation of peace ... and a nation of life.”
During a visit to Captain Smit Machchhar… the flydubai pilot who embodied the highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life.
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) October 3, 2026
From us, and from the leadership of the nation, he has our full appreciation and praise.
We are proud that he is part of our… pic.twitter.com/QgpQxdcK5C
Trump says Iran could be linked to flight attack
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump was asked by reporters if there was any link between the co-pilot and Iran.
“We’re working on it right now,” Trump said on the White House South Lawn, according to CBS News.
The investigators are “being very open with us. I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes. But we’re working on it right now,” the president said.
The co-pilot, who was subdued by Israeli passengers who stormed into the cockpit once the door was opened, was transferred from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi on Thursday, Reuters reported.
Most of the roughly 170 passengers on the plane were Israelis.
A source briefed on the investigation told Reuters on Friday that Israeli officials were expected to question the co-pilot in the UAE.
An Israeli government official said that Israeli investigators would take part alongside Emirati authorities in the UAE-led investigation, the report added.
The flydubai aircraft dropped about 16,625 feet in just over 30 seconds while flying in Saudi airspace en route to Israel, Reuters said based on flight-tracking data from Flightradar24.
Israeli authorities have warned that Iran would attempt to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world ever since the military confrontation with the Islamic Republic began in June 2025.
