FlyDubai Attack · Developing story · 2 reports

UAE deems Flydubai co-pilot's axe attack on captain a terrorist act

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UAE deems Flydubai co-pilot's axe attack on captain a terrorist act

Oct 3, 2026

The Fox News segment reports on the September 30, 2026 incident aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The co-pilot attacked the captain with a cockpit emergency axe, caused a rapid descent of roughly 17,000 feet, and attempted to seize control in what UAE authorities now classify as a terrorist act. Passengers and crew, including off-duty pilots, overpowered the attacker after the injured captain opened the cockpit door; the plane made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia with all aboard safe. The captain remains hospitalized in Abu Dhabi and has been hailed as a hero. Sourcing relies on "people familiar with the matter" for the co-pilot's prior grounding at Oman Air over suspicious activities, AP for identifying him as Hamam al-Hami (born in UAE to Syrian mother and Omani father, obtained Omani citizenship), UAE Attorney General and investigators, and direct quotes from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Islamist radicalization. The segment notes the investigation is examining possible accomplices or foreign links.

Source: Fox News

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FlyDubai co-pilot used cockpit axe in attempted terrorist hijack to Israel

Oct 3, 2026

The broadcast reports on the identification of the FlyDubai co-pilot who attempted to hijack a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight on September 30, 2026. It details that 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami (also spelled Hammam al-Hammami or Hamam al-Hamami), previously grounded by Oman Air over radicalization concerns, attacked the captain with the cockpit crash axe, attempted to take control in what UAE officials call a terrorist act, causing a rapid altitude loss before passengers and crew intervened, allowing an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The segment notes ongoing UAE investigation into possible accomplices or foreign links. It then transitions to Axios reporting that Trump's top national security team, including VP JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, held a secret Camp David meeting on Iran and Yemen, coinciding with additional US troop deployments and the USS Theodore Roosevelt's departure from San Diego with 6,000 sailors. Sourcing relies on the UAE attorney general's statement via state media, Associated Press identification of the suspect, unnamed officials for background on prior grounding, and Axios for the US meeting. No guests; the reporter in Tel Aviv presents a concise, fact-driven update tying the aviation incident to wider regional security developments.

Source: Fox News