According to UAE officials, the 29‑year‑old Omani co‑pilot of Flydubai intended to use his aircraft as a weapon, aiming to strike the passenger terminal of Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. This allegation formed the core of the investigation announced by the Emirates’ attorney general.
During flight FZ1073, the accused struck the aircraft’s captain, Smith Machar, with an emergency axe kept in the cockpit. The assault occurred while the plane was en route, triggering an immediate response from the crew and passengers.
Investigators said the suspect’s goal was to take command of the aircraft and deliberately fly it into the airport’s passenger terminal, a move designed to cause the highest possible number of casualties.
This statement from investigators described how the notion of using a plane as a weapon solidified in the suspect’s mind over time.
The Emirates’ attorney general stated that the radical ideas that motivated the plot began while the co‑pilot was studying in Australia, indicating that his extremist outlook developed abroad.
Repeating the central claim, officials asserted that the co‑pilot’s scheme involved seizing the flight controls and directing the jet toward Ben Gurion Airport, underscoring the premeditated nature of the act.
Before the attempted attack, the co‑pilot had flown the same Tel Aviv route on two prior occasions, giving him familiarity with the flight path and airport layout.
Authorities said the co‑pilot drew direct inspiration from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, viewing the use of a commercial airliner as a means to replicate that scale of violence.
Starting in 2017, during his time in Australia, the co‑pilot reportedly started to adopt extremist beliefs, a timeline that investigators highlighted as the origin of his radicalization.
On the specific date of September 30, the co‑pilot launched the axe attack against Captain Smith Machar inside the cockpit of flight FZ1073, marking the moment the plot moved from planning to action.
Following the assault, the flight crew and several passengers restrained the co‑pilot, secured the cockpit, and redirected the aircraft to Tabuk Airport, where it landed without further incident.
The UAE’s attorney general released a list of ten principal conclusions drawn from the probe into the alleged hijacking attempt, providing a structured overview of the evidence gathered.
Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi explicitly stated that the suspect’s intention was to inflict maximal loss of life by striking the passenger terminal of Ben Gurion Airport on the September 30 flight.
Investigators concluded that the co‑pilot’s extremist views formed while he was in Australia and that he had received backing from the Muslim Brotherhood, a detail cited in the official findings.
After the cockpit assault, the aircraft was rerouted to Tabuk Airport, where it touched down safely, confirming that the quick actions of those on board prevented a disaster.
Reiterating the core accusation, the attorney general said the suspect aimed to take over the flight and direct it into Tel Aviv’s main international airport.
The investigative narrative named the suspect as Hamam al‑Hammami, noting his Australian‑based radicalization beginning in 2017 and his ideological link to the 9/11 attacks.
Officials confirmed that the co‑pilot had previously flown the Tel Aviv route twice, using those trips to learn the approach and airport procedures.
A direct quote from the chief prosecutor summed up the allegation: the co‑pilot had devised a suicide mission targeting the Tel Aviv airport.
This statement from investigators described how the notion of using a plane as a weapon solidified in the suspect’s mind over time.
On September 30, 2026, the co‑pilot both struck the captain with an axe and advanced his plan to crash the aircraft, marking the decisive moment of the incident.
The same date records the cockpit confrontation and the subsequent emergency diversion of flight FZ1073 to Tabuk Airport.
A third chronological entry reiterates the alleged axe attack on Captain Smith Machar occurring on September 30, 2026.
On October 9, 2026, the attorney general made public the ten key findings that emerged from the probe into the alleged plot.
The following day, October 10, 2026, the attorney general provided further specifics about the co‑pilot’s intended suicide attack on Ben Gurion Airport.
Throughout the case, the individual is consistently identified as a 29‑year‑old citizen of Oman, a fact that anchors the personal profile of the accused.