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'No terror link': Flydubai co-pilot likely acted alone - report

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Patnaik, P. (2026, October 5). 'No terror link': Flydubai co-pilot likely acted alone - report. Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/flydubai-co-pilot-likely-acted-alone-israeli-probe-finds-no-terror-link-for-now-report/articleshow/134684870.cms

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Times of India · collected 2026-10-05 · by Prisha Patnaik

Quick Summary

An Omani co-pilot named Hamam al-Hammami is suspected of attacking the captain and attempting to seize control of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30. Israeli officials report that initial investigations indicate al-Hammami acted alone without ties to any terror group or government, though the inquiry remains open. Authorities are examining whether he attempted to disable both engine fuel switches after failing to initially take over the Boeing 737 aircraft. The incident ended with an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after passengers and crew subdued al-Hammami following his attack on Captain Smit Machchhar using a cockpit crash axe.
Written by AI on 2026-10-05, 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 2026-10-30, 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 19% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Co-pilot in FlyDubai attack identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami – reports Same event
The Independent
Hedges 2 of 4 claims Outlet record 59/100
U.A.E. says co-pilot on FlyDubai plane that nearly crashed attacked captain with cockpit's crash axe Same event
CBC News
Hedges 1 of 25 claims Outlet record 60/100
How an Omani flagged for extremism ended up piloting a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai jet Same event
Times of India
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 7 of 31 claims Outlet record 59/100
Co-pilot in FlyDubai attack is identified, and other Mideast developments Same event
Toronto Star
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 2 of 14 claims Outlet record 64/100
Who is Hamam Al Hammami? FlyDubai pilot who ‘stabbed captain and tried to hijack plane’ studied at British university Same event
Evening Standard
Hedges 2 of 13 claims Outlet record 65/100
Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with crash axe in hijacking Same event
Washington Examiner
Hedges 2 of 17 claims Outlet record 70/100
Australia investigating Flydubai co-pilot's links to country Same event
BBC News
Hedges 2 of 23 claims Outlet record 69/100
'Not afraid of death': Co-pilot's chilling admission after trying to crash flydubai jet Same event
Times of India
Hedges 4 of 22 claims Outlet record 59/100
Early indications suggest Flydubai co-pilot acted alone in attack, officials say Same event
NBC News
Outlet record 60/100
Investigators believe Flydubai co-pilot acted as ‘lone wolf’ – report Same event
The Independent
Hedges 4 of 20 claims Outlet record 59/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
26
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
19%
5 of 26 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
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 2026-10-05 · 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 · 3707 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)
2026-10-05
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2026-10-04
Tennessee prison chief Frank Strada resigns after Christa Pike's botched execution

Who wrote this

Prisha Patnaik
73 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Prisha Patnaik
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 73 articles by Prisha Patnaik →

Topics

CNN Flydubai Israel Israeli Omani

Subjects

Israel GPE · 6× al-Hammami PERSON · 6× Israeli NORP · 5× CNN ORG · 3× Flydubai ORG · 3× Machchhar PERSON · 2× Omani NORP · 2× Saudi Arabia GPE · 2× Tel Aviv GPE · 2× UAE GPE · 2×

Narrative

An investigation by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, cited by Ynet News, said investigators were examining whether the co-pilot moved the aircraft's two engine fuel switches from “Run” to “Cutoff” after taking control of the plane.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-05
🔮 US president Donald Trump had earlier suggested that al-Hammami could be linked to Iran, saying it was “based on what I’m hearing”.
2026-10-05 · Times of India
'No terror link': Flydubai co-pilot likely acted alone - report · assertive framing

Claims (26 extracted, 5 hedged)

New reports suggest that the Omani co-pilot accused of attacking the captain and trying to seize control of a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv probably acted alone. asserted
pilot → suggest → Aviv
An Israeli official told CNN that information gathered during the investigation so far suggested Hamam al-Hammami acted alone. uncertain
Hammami → tell → investigation
Another Israeli source said Israel had found no known link between the suspect and any group or government, while stressing that the investigation was still ongoing. asserted
investigation → say → suspect
The development comes as investigators examine whether al-Hammami made a further attempt to bring down the Boeing 737 after his initial attack on Captain Smit Machchhar failed. asserted
attack → come → Machchhar
An investigation by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, cited by Ynet News, said investigators were examining whether the co-pilot moved the aircraft's two engine fuel switches from “Run” to “Cutoff” after taking control of the plane. asserted
pilot → cite → plane
According to the report, al-Hammami allegedly pushed the aircraft into a steep descent after disabling the autopilot, potentially attempting to crash it in the Saudi desert after passengers and crew began thwarting his attempt to seize the aircraft. uncertain
passengers → accord → aircraft
What happened inside the cockpit The incident took place on September 30 aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. asserted
incident → happen → Aviv
Al-Hammami allegedly attacked Machchhar with a cockpit crash axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft. uncertain
Hammami → attack → aircraft
Despite being wounded, Machchhar managed to activate the mechanism that opened the cockpit door, allowing cabin crew and passengers to enter and help subdue the co-pilot. asserted
crew → wound → pilot
The aircraft eventually made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. asserted
aircraft → make → Tabuk
The UAE attorney general has described the incident as an attempted “terrorist act”. asserted
general → describe → act
Investigations are being conducted by authorities in the UAE, Israel and Saudi Arabia. asserted
Investigations → conduct → UAE
US president Donald Trump had earlier suggested that al-Hammami could be linked to Iran, saying it was “based on what I’m hearing”. uncertain
I → suggest → what
He did not provide details. asserted
He → provide → details
Israeli sources now say they have not identified a link to any group or government, although the investigation has not concluded. asserted
investigation → say → government
Questions over his past Al-Hammami, 29, is an Omani national who had previously worked for Oman Air. asserted
who → work → Air
According to CNN, he was removed from his previous job after concerns about his extremist views. uncertain
he → accord → views
He later joined Flydubai and had been working there for around eight months. asserted
He → join → months
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has separately said al-Hammami had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”, based on information gathered during questioning. asserted
Hammami → say → questioning
He did not provide further details. asserted
He → provide → details
The investigation has also raised questions over aviation security and the vetting of foreign flight crews. asserted
investigation → raise → crews
CNN reported that the names of all passengers and crew had been provided to Israeli authorities before the flight took off. asserted
flight → report → authorities
Israel's tax authority confirmed receiving the list, but the transportation ministry said its protocols did not include checking the names of flight crew members. asserted
protocols → confirm → members
The issue is particularly sensitive because Oman does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel. asserted
Oman → have → Israel
Netanyahu has said Israel had longstanding arrangements aimed at preventing pilots from countries without diplomatic ties from flying into the country and described the case as exposing a “loophole”. asserted
Israel → say → loophole
Israel has since ordered a review of security procedures for foreign civil aviation following the incident. asserted
Israel → order → incident
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