Overview
- Passengers, crew and two off-duty pilots subdued the copilot after he attacked the commander with an emergency axe, and the aircraft diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia where it landed safely on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
- Authorities have named the suspect as 29-year-old Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani who was reportedly suspended from flying in Oman over suspected radicalization and whose social accounts showed extremist-themed material.
- UAE prosecutors say the incident was a planned terrorist act and the suspect was moved to Abu Dhabi for formal investigation while Israeli officials have been allowed to take part in interrogations.
- Investigators are probing how Oman’s prior suspension was or was not shared with other states or carriers and how Flydubai recruited and assigned the pilot to a Tel Aviv route, and they are examining why mandatory cockpit equipment—including the axe—was accessible during the attack.
- The attack has prompted temporary route suspensions and will likely trigger audits of pilot vetting, Gulf information‑sharing practices and cockpit-safety procedures as officials assess both security reforms and the human toll on crew and passengers.