Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with crash axe in ‘terrorist act’: UAE
The UAE's prosecutor general says a Flydubai co-pilot carried out an assault using a cockpit crash axe during flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, describing the action as an attempted terrorist act. The attacker wounded the pilot, the aircraft briefly lost altitude, and the flight made an emergency diversion to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was arrested and transferred to UAE authorities.
Why It Matters
The incident raised immediate security and diplomatic consequences: flights between the UAE and Israel were suspended, passengers were stranded, and Israeli officials are investigating possible external direction. Investigators in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are conducting technical and forensic examinations to establish motive and any connections.
Key Facts
- Flight: Flydubai FZ1073, Dubai to Tel Aviv
- Date of incident: Wednesday (this week)
- Passengers on board: 174
- Weapon used: Cockpit crash axe
- Pilot wounded: Indian pilot Smit Machchhar
The United Arab Emirates' prosecutor general has characterized an in-flight attack by a Flydubai co-pilot as an attempt to commit a terrorist act. According to state news agency WAM, the co-pilot used a crash axe against the aircraft's captain and attempted to seize control of the flight controls during Flydubai flight FZ1073, which departed Dubai carrying 174 passengers bound for Tel Aviv.
After the captain opened the cockpit to seek assistance, the co-pilot wounded him with the crash axe. The aircraft plunged roughly 17,000 feet (about 5,180 metres) before a second pair of pilots brought the plane back under control. Passengers and crew helped to subdue the attacker, and the flight was diverted to Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing.
Saudi authorities arrested the co-pilot at the diversion airport and subsequently handed him over to UAE officials, who are leading the investigation. The UAE prosecutor general, Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, said authorities are conducting technical examinations and reviewing physical and digital evidence to determine the full circumstances, motives and any related connections; final results will be released when procedures are completed. The wounded pilot, identified as Smit Machchhar of India, was returned to the UAE.
The incident prompted immediate operational and political fallout. Flydubai suspended its Israel route, and Israel's El Al cancelled scheduled flights, leaving some Israeli citizens stranded in the UAE. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is probing whether the co-pilot acted on someone else's orders and warned that any party found to be involved would face consequences. The first repatriation flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv since the incident arrived at Ben Gurion Airport at 22:00 GMT on Friday, operated by Israeli carrier Arkia.
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