Flydubai flight FZ1073 co pilot radicalized in Australia UAE prosecutors say

The Attorney General for the United Arab Emirates stated that the First Officer who tried to hijack a Flydubai flight was radicalized while living in Australia, Paddley Too reported. Sky News, The Washington Post, InsideFlyer, and PYOK also reported that authorities in the United Arab Emirates linked the co-pilot to a planned attack. According to Paddley Too, the Omani co-pilot, identified as Hamam al-Hammami, entered aviation specifically to carry out a suicide strike. [1][2][3][6][7]

According to Paddley Too, al-Hammami was the First Officer on Flydubai flight FZ-1073. He attacked the flight captain with a crash axe in an effort to gain control of the passenger airliner, Paddley Too reported. The Washington Post noted that the suspect aimed to crash the aircraft into the primary airport in Israel. [1][3]

As FTMQ Travel reported earlier, the incident took place aboard a flight operating from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. The co-pilot attacked the captain during the journey, but the injured captain unlocked the cockpit door. Off-duty crew and passengers then intervened to subdue the attacker. Before joining Flydubai, al-Hammami had been grounded in Oman because of extremist concerns. [8][11][12]

The incident occurred aboard a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by Flydubai on 30 September 2026. Flydubai is a state-owned carrier based in the United Arab Emirates that serves 131 international destinations. [8][12]