The man accused of trying to seize control of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv has been identified as 29-year-old Omani national Hamam Al Hammami.
Al Hammami allegedly attacked the captain with a knife or axe while the aircraft was cruising on Wednesday, prompting passengers and crew to intervene as the plane plunged thousands of feet.
He was arrested in Saudi Arabia and later transferred to the United Arab Emirates, where sources close to the investigation said he was co-operating with authorities.
The aircraft, carrying 182 people, issued an emergency squawk code before making a U-turn and landing at Tabuk in north-west Saudi Arabia. It briefly transmitted code 7500, which signals unlawful interference or a hijacking.
Suspect was previously removed from flying role
Sources said Al Hammami was found with extremist material in 2024 while working as a co-pilot trainee for Oman Air. He was subsequently moved to an administrative role.
He is also understood to have completed a three-year distance-learning course in aviation management at Buckinghamshire New University, graduating in 2023. A source at the university said he did not undertake pilot training there.
Al Hammami is further understood to have studied engineering at a university in Australia. Officials are investigating how he was allowed to fly for Flydubai and became first officer on a flight bound for Israel.
The prosecutor general has said an axe was used in the alleged attempt to take control of the aircraft.
Passengers helped overpower alleged attacker
The captain, Smit Machchhar, was left seriously wounded on the cockpit floor after the alleged assault. He was later treated in hospital in Tabuk.
Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayoun said he broke into the cockpit after hearing a woman shout that someone was being stabbed. He described finding the injured captain beside the door and Al Hammami leaning over the controls.
“So I grabbed him by the throat,” Mr Hayoun said. “I pushed him out toward the exit and started shouting for people to come and help because he was resisting.”
At least three other Israeli passengers joined him, according to Mr Hayoun, and the alleged attacker was subdued and tied up. Mr Hayoun then pulled back on the aircraft’s controls as the plane was pointing downwards.
“It was only for a few seconds,” he said. “It wasn’t as though I flew the plane.”
The aircraft lost about 14,000ft in less than a minute during the incident. Passengers described being thrown from their seats as the jet entered an erratic descent before it was stabilised.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the incident as an “attempted jihadist terror attack”, saying it had been thwarted by passengers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Mr Hayoun after he returned to Tel Aviv.
Flydubai said it was suspending flights to and from Israel while the incident was investigated.
