WorldPosted at: Oct 6 2026 7:45PM


Israel scrambled fighter jets to shoot down flydubai passenger jet after Omani co-pilot attempted to hijack plane, say sources

Jerusalem, Oct 6 (UNI) Israel was reportedly prepared to shoot down the flydubai passenger plane and had scrambled fighter jets after its Omani copilot attacked the captain and the aircraft plunged about 14,000 feet, according to Israeli sources cited by CBS News.
A pre-established committee for potential hijacking or 9/11-style incidents was convened and a command centre activated.
The fighter jets were later called back after authorities saw that Flight 1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, had turned towards Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing. The aircraft was then about 400 miles from Israel, while Saudi Arabia had also scrambled fighter jets.
As per protocol, had the aircraft continued towards Israel and come within a certain distance, Israeli jets would have entered Jordanian airspace to investigate, the sources said.
If authorities concluded the plane had been hijacked and those responsible remained silent without making demands, the Defence minister and prime minister would have been brought into the decision-making process.
Only the prime minister could have authorised the aircraft to be shot down, according to the sources.
Such a decision would have been considered preferable to allowing a hijacked aircraft to crash into Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv's Azrieli Towers or another "high-value target".
The incident began when Omani copilot Hamam al-Hammami attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar as the flight approached Israel and attempted to take control of the aircraft. Machchhar managed to fend him off long enough to unlock the cockpit door, after which passengers and flydubai personnel overpowered al-Hammami.
Two off-duty pilots travelling on the flight then took control and diverted the aircraft to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing.
According to two Israeli officials with knowledge of the investigation, al-Hammami told UAE interrogators that he had planned an attack involving a plane full of Israelis even before he was hired by the Dubai-owned airline.
A third source briefed on the UAE investigation said al-Hammami had planned to crash the flight into Ben Gurion Airport. The source said he had also operated a flight to Tel Aviv earlier this year and had intended to hijack and crash that aircraft but ultimately decided against it.
It was not immediately clear why he abandoned the earlier plan, although the source said he was believed to have known someone on board.
An initial Israeli investigation indicated that the attempted hijacking was likely a lone-wolf attack, according to sources cited by CBS, although investigators were continuing to examine other possibilities.
Shin Bet interrogators have since travelled to the UAE to participate in the questioning of al-Hammami, The Times of Israel reported on Monday. Israeli security officials approved the report for publication, though Shin Bet has currently declined to comment.
Israeli officials said al-Hammami had applied to flydubai after searching for airlines operating flights to Tel Aviv. Israel has been receiving regular updates from the UAE on the investigation, while authorities continue to examine his precise motive and whether he acted alone.
Israeli authorities do not believe other members of Flight 1073's crew were involved, according to a Channel 12 report. The crew were questioned in the UAE at Israel's request after some passengers raised concerns about their behaviour during the incident. Emirati investigators concluded they had not participated in the attack, a finding Israel reportedly accepted.
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