flydubai incident a 'terrorist attack', UAE confirms; says co-pilot used crash axe to hit Captain Smit Machchhar

Hamam Al Hamami the copilot of the DubaiTel Aviv flydubai flight attacked Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe during the flight in what United Arab Emirates UAE prosecutors have confirmed as a terrorist attack according to reports on SaturdayThe UAE prosecutors said Al Hamami attempted to take control of the aircraft after attacking Captain Machchhar inside the cockpit IANS reportedAccording to news agency WAM UAE AttorneyGeneral Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the copilot began executing his plan during the flight attacking the captain inside the flight deck using a crash axe and attempting to take control of the aircraftThe Indian pilot was subsequently hailed as a hero for his actions during the emergency and his efforts to prevent the situation from escalating furtherMeanwhile UAE AttorneyGeneral Hamad Saif Al Shamsi has ordered the formation of an investigation team to probe the incident The team comprising specialised members of the Public Prosecution will investigate its circumstances and causes according to the statement released by the UAEs Ministry of Foreign Affairs The UAE appreciated Saudi Arabian authorities for their cooperation and handling of the incidentCrash axe used in cockpit attackUnder international aviation regulations a crash axe is required to be carried on every commercial passenger aircraftThe equipment is kept inside the cockpit and is intended to be used by flight crew in emergencies including situations arising from an aircraft crashCrash axes were previously stored in the main passenger cabin on commercial aircraft However their location was changed to the cockpit following the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States amid increased aviation security concernsHow the flydubai flight incident unfoldedThe flydubai flight was heading from Dubai to Israels Tel Aviv on Wednesday September 30 when the copilot tried to sabotage the aircraft and stabbed Captain Machchhar who was trying to prevent him from doing soAt the time the Boeing 737 cruising at about 34000 feet began dropping at roughly 23000 feet per minute before reaching about 15600 feetHowever Machchhar fought the copilot resisted him and opened the cockpit door so that passengers and crew members could overpower himThe flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabias Tabuk with the help of two other pilots who were on the flight at that timeReports examine copilots backgroundHamami had reportedly been barred from flying in his country Oman over concerns that he had adopted extremist views according to media reportsAccording to reports Al Hamami spent much of his time outside Oman particularly in Syria where he was allegedly influenced by extremist ideas before subsequently travelling to the UAEAl Hamami had worked for flydubai for only about eight months CNN reportedA nowdeleted LinkedIn profile bearing the name Hamam Al Hammami reportedly stated that he had worked with Oman Air for seven years and left the airline in February 2025He subsequently joined Royal Air Maroc in June 2025 and left the airline in January this year before taking up employment with flydubai according to reportsThe deleted profile reportedly made two posts within around nine hours of the flydubai incident both of which were terrorrelatedOne of the posts reportedly contained a series of clips filmed inside the cockpits of a Boeing 737 Max aircraft with the person recording the footage zooming in on an aircraft belonging to Israeli airline El AlThe video reportedly ended with an image of Ayman alZawahiri the alQaeda leader who succeeded Osama Bin Laden along with a photograph of Humam Khalil AbuMulal alBalawi who killed nine people in a 2009 suicide bombing targeting US personnelAnother post reportedly featured an AIgenerated image depicting Islams three holiest sites in Mecca Medina and JerusalemAccording to CNN a poem in the background referred to rejecting humiliation not fearing death and defending ones dignityA separate CNN report said Al Hamamis nowdeleted X account portrayed him as deeply religious and misogynisticOther media reports have also cited a former colleague describing him as a religious extremist although investigations into his motives and background remain ongoingWith IANS inputs