As per the probe till now, Indian pilot Smit Machchhar was stabbed by Omani co-pilot Hammam al-Hammam with an axe
The attack on September 30 was on a flight flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv, when it was forced to make an emergency landing after the stabbing of Indian pilot by his Omani co pilot. The incident unfolded on September 30 when flydubai Flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with more than 170 people on board, went into a sharp descent after the co-pilot allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit. The jet plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds amid the fight.
So, here’s how 6 countries have gotten “mixed-up” in one incident. UAE authorities have described the incident as an attempted “terrorist attack”, saying he attacked the captain with a crash axe and tried to take control of the aircraft. The stabbing on Indian pilot Smit Machchhar by Omani co-pilot Hammam al-Hammami on flydubai flight has now brought six countries officially into the fold. India’s connection to the incident centres on Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who was attacked by his Omani co-pilot while flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The alleged attacker, identified as Hammam al-Hammami, is an Omani national. The motive remains under investigation, and Oman has not publicly commented on the case.
Netanyahu said Saudi authorities would interrogate the co-pilot, while Indian authorities in Saudi Arabia worked with local officials to assist Machchhar and his family. The country also became an early centre of the investigation. Thepilot was subsequently transferred from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi after his medical condition improved.
UAE: The flight, airline and the investigation
Because the flight originated in Dubai and is operated by flydubai, which is owned by the Dubai government, the UAE is central to the case.
On October 3, UAE Prosecutor General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi officially described the incident as an attempted “terrorist attack”, saying the co-pilot used a cockpit crash axe to attack the captain and tried to take control of the aircraft. Machchhar, an Indian national, managed to open the cockpit door despite being injured, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the co-pilot. The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely and the alleged attacker was detained. The UAE is doing the direct investigation, with Israel, and now Australia and other authorities also examining different aspects of the case. More importantly, the UAE is leading the investigation into what happened aboard Flight FZ1073.