UAE says flydubai co-pilot attacked pilot with axe

The co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, which was bound for Israel, attempted to carry out a "terrorist attack" with an axe during the flight, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said on Saturday.

The co-pilot was identified as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

A second source briefed on the investigation confirmed the co-pilot's name. UAE authorities did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of his identity.

Disaster was averted on Wednesday after passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot, who had attacked the captain in what Israeli officials said was an apparent attempt to crash the plane carrying more than 170 passengers and crew.

While Emirati authorities and the airline have not publicly identified the co-pilot, Israeli officials have previously said he is an Omani national. Oman has not commented on the incident.

"Investigations into the incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 found that the co-pilot had attempted to carry out a terrorist attack," Prosecutor General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said in a statement carried by the UAE's state news agency.

The co-pilot attacked the pilot inside the cockpit with a crash axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft, the prosecutor general said. A crash axe is typically kept in the cockpit for use during emergencies such as crashes.

The investigation into flight FZ1073, including the suspect's motives, is ongoing, and the findings will be released once the "necessary procedures" have been completed, the prosecutor general said. The UAE is leading the investigation.

The airline is owned by Dubai's government.

The prosecutor general's comments were the first by Emirati investigators to describe the incident as an attempted terrorist attack.

Following the release of the prosecutor general's statement, Anwar Gargash, a senior adviser to the UAE president, said on X that the Gulf country had zero tolerance for terrorism and would show no leniency toward extremist rhetoric.

Flydubai said the circumstances surrounding the incident were still under investigation and that it was not in a position to comment further, a spokesperson said on Saturday.

Reuters could not immediately verify professional and social media pages reportedly belonging to the co-pilot, which suggested he had worked for other airlines.

Royal Air Maroc told Reuters, in response to a question about his potential employment there in the past, that he had undergone a three-month training with the airline in 2025 but his application to work there afterwards was rejected. RAM did not elaborate.