WorldPosted at: Oct 4 2026 10:31PM


Flydubai co-pilot al-Hammami planned to crash aircraft into Tel Aviv skyscraper: Israeli intelligence

Tel Aviv, Oct 4 (UNI) Hamam al-Hammami, the Omani copilot accused of attempting to hijack a flydubai aircraft bound for Israel, reportedly planned to deliberately crash the plane into Tel Aviv skyscrapers, Italian outlet Corriere Della Sera reported on Sunday, citing Israeli intelligence.
Hammami's plan was to kill the pilot, Capt. Smit Machchhar, without attracting attention, then fly along the planned route to Tel Aviv before crashing into the city's buildings.
Israeli authorities are working on the assumption that Hammami was a "lone wolf" actor who attempted to crash the plane on his own initiative, rather than acting on the orders of any terror group, a source told The Jerusalem Post.
The operation was planned to be so quick that fighter jets couldn't intervene, the Italian outlet stated.
Instead, after Hammami attacked Machchhar with an emergency crash axe, almost severing his arm, and attempted to crash the plane by first manipulating the control stick and then cutting both engines, a heavily-injured Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, helping passengers secure Hammami and the aircraft, according to the report.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone with flydubai Capt. Smit Machchhar on Saturday.
The Indian national told Netanyahu that he "gave everything that I had" to open the cockpit door once his Omani co-pilot began attacking him in an attempt to hijack the aircraft.
"I had that one last fight left in me," Machchhar told the Israeli prime minister.
"If I don't do it, I'm going to die... and just went for the door and opened the door."
Machchhar said the ordeal began when his co-pilot said he wanted to pray, which the captain noted was "not out of the ordinary."
The captain said he looked away "out of respect" when he suddenly felt a "big blow to the back of my head."
"My first thought was that there was catastrophic damage to the aircraft," he said.
"But then, after that, the blows kept coming, one after the other, and that's when I realized that it's not the aircraft; it's the other guy who was in the cockpit with me."
"I tried to stop him, but because of the initial blows, my vision was almost nonexistent. Everything was completely blurred. And at that point, the next thing I felt was the aircraft plunging sharply downward."
"I tried to open the cockpit door once, but I think he closed it again. And at that point, I remember lying on the cockpit floor and hearing people screaming. Then I felt I had one last fight left in me, whether for myself or for the people. I knew that if I didn't act, I would die."
"So I pushed with all my strength. I gave it everything I had. I lunged toward the door and opened it. Fortunately, people rushed inside and took over the control of the aircraft."
When Netanyahu asked Machchhar how he had managed to open the door, the pilot explained, "On the inside, the door has a mechanism that allows it to be opened by turning. From the outside, it can only be opened using a code. My colleagues outside were trying to enter the code, but the guy didn't allow them to open it using a code."
"The only way to open the door was to reach the handle and like any other handle, to simply turn it. The challenge was getting to that point. Once my hand was on the handle, I suppose I turned it and opened the door."
Netanyahu hailed Machchhar’s "courage" and "coolness of judgment under impossible conditions," inviting the captain to light a torch alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Israel's next Independence Day celebration.
"It's usually reserved for Israeli citizens, but I think here in this case, all the citizens of Israel will embrace you," he told Machchhar.
Netanyahu thanked Machchhar for his "remarkable" actions, saying that he "saved the spirit of the world."
"You're a hero of Israel, you're a hero of India, you're a hero of the entire world," he told the captain.
"I can tell you that people here (in Israel) will welcome you with open arms."
Captain Machchhar told Netanyahu that he would appreciate the chance to meet the Israeli dentist who saved his life onboard the aircraft immediately following the co-pilot's attack.
Hammami had previously worked for Oman Air before he was fired for his views, described as too close to Islamic extremism, before being hired by flydubai eight months ago, according to Corriere Della Sera.
Meanwhile, Australian security agencies have launched an investigation after it emerged that Hammami spent about two years in the country as a student.
"The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (VIC JCTT), comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO, can confirm it is investigating the man's links to Australia. An update will be provided at an appropriate time," an Australian Federal Police (AFP) spokesperson said, referring to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
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