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'Terrorist act': UAE official on flydubai attack, praises India pilot Smit Machchhar

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Jha, A. (2026, October 2). 'Terrorist act': UAE official on flydubai attack, praises India pilot Smit Machchhar. Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/terrorist-act-uae-official-on-flydubai-attack-praises-india-pilot-smit-machchhar/articleshow/134637759.cms

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Times of India · collected 2026-10-02 · by Aastha Jha

Quick Summary

A UAE official has labeled a mid-air incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 as a “terrorist act” and commended Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for his actions in ensuring the plane landed safely after being attacked by his co-pilot. The flight, which was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv but diverted to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, saw three Israeli passengers assist in subduing the attacker alongside two additional onboard pilots who took control of the aircraft. The UAE has initiated a specialized investigation into the incident, focusing on whether it involves terrorist activity or prior planning, and asserts jurisdiction under its laws for crimes committed on board its registered aircraft worldwide.
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv signaled an emergency and was diverted to land at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. The incident initially raised concerns about a possible hijacking, prompting Israel to scramble warplanes. However, Israeli officials later reported that the emergency signals were due to a physical altercation between the plane's two pilots rather than a hijacking attempt.

The flight, identified as Flydubai Flight FZ1073, transmitted multiple emergency alerts after takeoff and over Jordanian airspace before landing safely in Saudi Arabia. Passengers on board managed to overpower the attacker, who was later identified by UAE officials as Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami. Al-Hammami allegedly attempted to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's airport but was stopped by passengers.

UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi stated that signs of al-Hammami’s radicalization first emerged in 2017 while he was studying engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. He reportedly became influenced by extremist literature and online content glorifying terrorist organizations during this period.

Written for “Flydubai Hijacker's Radicalization Path” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 345 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Flydubai Hijacker's Radicalization Path
Crime & Law · 346 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 25% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
12
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
25%
3 of 12 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
59/100
Times of India's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
346
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-02 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Times of India · 3890 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Aastha Jha
21 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Interior minister Mazen Al-Faraya attributed the attack to extremist ideology, warning that similar incidents could recur if such thinking was not addressed.
2026-10-27 · assertive framing · 7 civilians killed in Jordan strike on Syrian militants in retaliation to church attack
🔮 On Sunday, he ruled out an immediate US strike on Iran, telling reporters there would be no attack that day.
2026-10-26 · assertive framing · 'Gotta stop killing them to know who we're dealing with': Trump says top Iranian leaders gone
🔮 He has criticised settler violence against Palestinians and opposed some of the Netanyahu government's settlement plans, including construction in the E1 area, which critics say would further divide the West Bank.
2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Who is Gadi Eisenkot? Ex-army chief of Israel is Netanyahu's biggest challenger in PM race
🔮 The officials gave few details about how or where Iran might carry out such attacks.
2026-10-24 · speculative framing · After oil, internet? Iran plans to target Gulf's undersea cables
🔮 The incident follows another fatal crash involving the same aircraft type in May, when two pilots were killed after an SF-260 went down in a mountainous area in the northern Philippines.
2026-10-24 · assertive framing · Watch: Two Philippine air force trainer aircraft collide mid-air; 4 pilots killed
🔮 The visit would mark his first trip to China in more than a year.
2026-10-24 · mixed framing · North Korea's Kim Jong-un makes surprise visit to China via newly opened bridge: Report
🔮 The latest release is part of a series of documents made public by the Pentagon since May, following US President Donald Trump's pledge to disclose previously classified information about UFO sightings and the government's knowledge of potential extraterrestrial life.
2026-10-24 · assertive framing · UFO files: 'Black triangles' moving at extraordinary speed spotted over sensitive US site
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2026-10-17 · assertive framing · 10 charred to death in fire at seaside resort in Bangladesh
🔮 US officials are concerned that continued attacks could discourage shipping companies from using the strait, reducing oil supplies and pushing up global prices.
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Also by Aastha Jha
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2026-10-24 · Times of India
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 21 articles by Aastha Jha →

Topics

NEW DELHI Omani Saudi Arabia Tel Aviv UAE

Subjects

UAE GPE · 6× Saudi Arabia GPE · 3× Machchhar PERSON · 2× Omani NORP · 2× Tel Aviv GPE · 2× flydubai ORG · 2× AFP ORG · 1× Indian NORP · 1× NEW DELHI GPE · 1× Smit Machchhar PERSON · 1×

Narrative

“The ministry noted that the investigation includes examining all circumstances and motives surrounding the incident, including any possible connection to terrorist activity or intent, and whether it involved prior planning or direction,” the statement said.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-02
🔮 The probe will examine the circumstances and motives, including any possible links to terrorist activity, prior planning or direction.
2026-10-02 · Times of India
'Terrorist act': UAE official on flydubai attack, praises India pilot Smit Machchhar · mixed framing

Claims (12 extracted, 3 hedged)

A UAE official has described the mid-air incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 as a “terrorist act” while praising Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for his role in ensuring the aircraft landed safely, news agency AFP reported on Friday. asserted
AFP → describe → Friday
The incident involved an alleged attack on Machchhar by his co-pilot. asserted
incident → involve → pilot
Machchhar was injured but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to intervene. asserted
passengers → injure → door
Three Israeli passengers reportedly helped subdue the attacker, while two additional pilots onboard took control of the aircraft and landed it safely in Saudi Arabia. uncertain
pilots → help → Arabia
This comes a day after UAE ordered a specialised investigation into the incident, involving an alleged attempt by an Omani co-pilot to crash the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight. asserted
UAE → come → flight
The probe will examine the circumstances and motives, including any possible links to terrorist activity, prior planning or direction. asserted
probe → examine → activity
The flight departed from Dubai International Airport for Tel Aviv but was diverted to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia after an altercation reportedly broke out in the cockpit. uncertain
altercation → depart → cockpit
flydubai said crew members onboard intervened and secured the aircraft. asserted
members → say → aircraft
“The ministry noted that the investigation includes examining all circumstances and motives surrounding the incident, including any possible connection to terrorist activity or intent, and whether it involved prior planning or direction,” the statement said. asserted
statement → note → planning
The UAE said its judicial authorities have jurisdiction over the investigation as the aircraft is registered in the UAE and operates under its flag. asserted
aircraft → say → flag
UAE law applies to crimes committed onboard the aircraft, including those occurring outside the country's territory, it said. asserted
it → apply → territory
According to The Times of Israel, Saudi Arabia will conduct the initial investigation into the Omani co-pilot accused of attempting to crash the flight before handing him over to the UAE for further investigation. uncertain
Arabia → accord → investigation
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