UAE prosecutor labels Flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv incident a terrorist attack
UAE prosecutors have classified the March incident on Flydubai flight between Dubai and Tel Aviv as a terrorist attack after a co-pilot used an emergency axe against the pilot.
The United Arab Emirates’ public prosecutor announced that the March incident aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073, operating between Dubai and Tel Aviv, is being treated as a terrorist attack. According to the investigation, the aircraft’s co-pilot assaulted the pilot with a lightweight emergency axe stored in the cockpit, attempting to take over the aircraft. Hamad Saif al Shamsi, the UAE’s prosecutor general, said a comprehensive inquiry is underway to establish the circumstances, motives and any possible links, while analysing physical and digital evidence.
A source close to the case identified the co-pilot as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national. The emergency axe, normally kept for cabin-evacuation purposes, was used as a weapon, prompting heightened security concerns for regional flights between the Gulf and Israel.
How this was covered
- Coverage peaked at 14 outlets in a single hour
Why it matters
It highlights a rare in-flight terrorist act, raising security concerns for commercial aviation in the region.
How the sides frame it
LOW AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage highlights the pilot’s personal struggle and the terror-style nature of the assault, center coverage presents a straightforward factual account of the attack and investigation, while right-leaning coverage focuses on the co-pilot’s earlier dismissal as a security risk.
LEFT
Frames the incident as a terror-style attack and emphasizes the captain’s heroic fight and his communication with leaders.
CENTER
Frames the event as a factual security incident, noting the use of an emergency axe, the safe landing, and the launch of a joint investigation.
RIGHT
Frames the story around the co-pilot’s prior safety concerns, portraying the assault as linked to earlier security warnings.
The left emphasises
- the assault was a "terror-style" attack
- the captain fought to keep the aircraft aloft and later spoke from his hospital bed
- the pilot spoke with India’s prime minister Narendra Modi about the incident
The right emphasises
- the co-pilot had been suspended by Oman Air as a security risk
- extremist material was found in his possession while he was a trainee
- the dismissal w
How this story developed
- Sep 30 Netanyahu hails Indian pilot who thwarted alleged flydubai sabotage
- Oct 1 Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia arrested one of the pilots who allegedly tried to crash a FlyDubai flight.
- Oct 1 Israel’s transport minister ordered a six‑day suspension of Flydubai flights to Israel and Emirates halted code‑share operations on those routes.
- Oct 1 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the second pilot who stabbed the captain on a Fly Dubai flight had undergone Islamist radicalisation.
- Oct 1 El Al, Israir and Arkia have asked Israeli security officials to allow them to resume scheduled flights to Dubai following a violent incident on a flydubai plane.
- Oct 1 A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to land in Saudi Arabia after the Omani co-pilot assaulted the captain in the cockpit.
- Oct 1 The Saudi interior ministry said its initial probe indicates the co-pilot on the Dubai‑to‑Tel Aviv flight assaulted the captain.
- Oct 2 The suspect was transferred to United Arab Emirates authorities.
- Oct 2 President Trump said investigators are working to determine whether Iran is linked to the co‑pilot.
- Oct 2 A UAE official called the mid-air incident on flydubai flight FZ1073 a terrorist act and praised Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for safely landing the aircraft after a co-pilot attack.
- Oct 2 Modi praised Machchhar for averting disaster.
- Oct 2 Israeli carriers have formally requested clearance to restart Dubai routes.
- Oct 3 Co‑pilot identified as Hamam al Hamami, an Omani national previously barred by Oman over extremist concerns.
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