Omani co-pilot accused of stabbing flydubai captain in attempted cockpit attack on Israel-bound flight

On October 1, 2026, the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, attacked the captain with an emergency crash axe in an alleged attempt to crash the plane. The captain opened the cockpit door, passengers subdued the attacker, and the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia. The UAE called it a terrorist attack. Investigations expanded to New Zealand, where al-Hammami had trained in 2018-2019, and Australia. Authorities are probing how he was cleared to fly despite being flagged for extremist views in Oman. No Iranian link has been found.