Co-pilot admits intent to crash flydubai flight, says he feared no death

Hamam al-Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani citizen serving as co-pilot on flydubai Flight 1073, admitted to Saudi interrogators that he intended to deliberately bring the aircraft down and was not scared of dying. The attack unfolded on September 30 when he struck Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe, sending the plane down more than 16,000 feet in about half a minute before the injured captain opened the cockpit door. Passengers, crew and two off-duty pilots overpowered Hammami and helped land the jet safely in Saudi Arabia.

Earlier, Oman Air had barred him from flying after discovering his visits to extremist websites, after which he completed a deradicalisation program and later joined flydubai in February 2026. Investigators are examining his online posts, his time in Syria during the civil war, and whether he acted alone or had ties to foreign actors such as Iran.