Flydubai co-pilot 'attacked pilot with axe in suspected terrorist attack', UAE says

The Flydubai co-pilot tried to carry out a terrorist attack during a Tel Aviv-bound flight that nearly crashed, the United Arab Emirates has said.

The co-pilot, who has been identified as Omani national Hamam al Hammami, attacked the pilot with an axe inside the cockpit and tried to take control of the aircraft, according to UAE prosecutor general Hamad Saif ​al Shamsi.

Investigations are ongoing ⁠to determine ​the circumstances of the ​incident, the motives ​and any related ⁠connections, as well as to ⁠examine physical and ​digital evidence, he ​added.

The co-pilot - who has a Syrian mother and was born in the UAE - had been banned from flying by Oman over fears he had adopted extremist views before he was hired by the UAE-based airline, sources told the Associated Press (AP).

A Gulf diplomat told the news agency investigations are underway to establish whether he acted as a "lone wolf or has any connection with any extremist groups".

The Indian pilot, Smit Machchhar, has been hailed a hero after fighting to open the cockpit door when he was stabbed by his colleague in mid-air.

Passengers and crew subdued the alleged attacker as the plane, with 182 people on board, dropped from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet (10,000 metres to 5,100 metres) in about a minute.

The aircraft, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was detained.

UAE senior diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash on Friday called the Flydubai attack a "dangerous terrorist act" in a post on X, crediting the flight captain for preventing a catastrophe.

Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination" and it appeared "very likely that he was going to down the plane".

"We are now investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price," he said in a video message on Friday.

US President Donald Trump told reporters that early information he has received suggests links between the attack and Iran, adding that if Iranian agents were to blame, the US will "hit them very hard".

Israeli investigators are involved in the probe, but the Emiratis are in the lead, according to an official who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

They said it is unclear if the attacker was part of a group and there is currently no evidence of a link with Iran.

The co-pilot attacked his colleague with a crash axe - an axe typically kept in the cockpit for use in emergencies such as crashes - according to the UAE prosecutor general.

Speaking in an emotional video call from hospital in Abu Dhabi, Mr Machchhar told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi he "could not let people die" as he described how he fought to open the cockpit door while still being attacked.

The pilot, who was badly wounded, described how he fell to the floor after the stabbing and was "fighting for my life".

"When I was down, I could feel that the aircraft was plummeting, and I knew this is a last chance to do something. I knew the door was just there," he said.

A Flydubai spokesperson said the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation and that it was not in a position to comment further.

(c) Sky News 2026: Flydubai co-pilot 'attacked pilot with axe in suspected terrorist attack', UAE says