Emirati authorities are reportedly preparing to seek the death penalty for the co-pilot accused of trying to turn a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv passenger jet into a suicide weapon, according to Israeli outlet Ynet, which cited a senior Emirati official.
The suspect, 29-year-old Hamam al-Hammami, was overpowered by passengers aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 after what investigators describe as a mid-air attack on the flight deck. Abu Dhabi is expected to press for the harshest penalty available under Emirati law, the report said.
A Multi-Nation Investigation Takes Shape
Mossad operatives and Israeli aviation experts have arrived in Abu Dhabi to question al-Hammami, joining intelligence agents from Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United States in what has become a multi-country probe, according to the Ynet report.
Investigators reportedly suspect the co-pilot was not simply trying to crash the Boeing 737 MAX 8 into the sea. Instead, they believe he was attempting a 9/11-style kamikaze strike aimed directly at the Azrieli Towers, one of the most recognizable landmarks on the Tel Aviv skyline.
How Passengers Stopped the Dive
The sequence of events described in the reporting reads like something out of a disaster film. Al-Hammami allegedly attacked Indian-born Captain Smit Machchhar with the cockpit’s own emergency crash axe before seizing the controls and pushing the jet into a steep descent β dropping roughly 14,000 feet in about thirty seconds.
Bleeding and injured, Machchhar managed to force open the reinforced cockpit door, allowing Israeli passengers to rush the flight deck. One of them, Yaniv Hion, grabbed the controls and pulled the aircraft out of its plunge. An off-duty pilot who happened to be on board was then brought forward to help guide the plane to an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Hion later described the chaotic scene inside the cockpit. “When I got inside, I saw the attacker on the controls, between the two seats,” he said. “There were no pilots in the seats. One was down, and the attacker was on the controls. Another person came in with me. I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and first of all pulled him out. β¦ He was trying to destroy the controls in order to disable the plane. That’s what I saw.”
A Background Under Scrutiny
As the interrogation gets underway, more details are surfacing about al-Hammami’s employment history and apparent path toward extremism. According to regional sources, Oman Air barred him from flying over concerns that he had adopted extremist views β Fox News reported the concern was tied to visits to radical Islamic websites β and moved him into an administrative role.
In 2025, he completed three months of pre-employment training with Royal Air Maroc but was not hired, according to the reporting. He also reportedly traveled to Syria at some point before joining Flydubai, where he had worked for less than a year.
His hiring checks reportedly focused on criminal records rather than warning signs of radicalization. An Israeli official said this was his first flight into Israel, a detail that raises its own questions: how was an Omani pilot assigned to a route serving Israel at all, given that Israel’s agreement with Flydubai bars pilots from countries that lack diplomatic ties with the Jewish state?
An Emirati source acknowledged that a global pilot shortage has pushed airlines to rush hiring and vetting procedures, calling the lapse a “very serious failure.”
Israel Tightens Screening
In the wake of the incident, Israel is tightening crew screenings on all incoming foreign flights, according to the reporting.
The case has already drawn attention from multiple governments, with the involvement of Saudi, Omani and American intelligence officials reflecting how seriously the alleged plot is being treated across the region. Saudi Arabia’s role is particularly notable given that the flight was diverted to Tabuk, where the aircraft landed safely.
For now, the focus in Abu Dhabi is on building a case against al-Hammami. If the Ynet report proves accurate, prosecutors will pursue the maximum punishment β a demand that, if carried out, would mark one of the most consequential counterterrorism prosecutions in the UAE’s recent history.
Source: www.dailywire.com β https://www.dailywire.com/news/uae-to-seek-death-penalty-for-flydubai-terrorist-report