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Omani Co-Pilot Attempted Israel Jet Hijack, Passengers Stopped

By Drooid · Oct 13, 2026, 7:57 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami attempted to hijack a flydubai jet bound for Israel.
He planned to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport to cause maximum casualties.
Captain Smit Machchhar unlocked the cockpit, enabling passengers to subdue the attacker.
The plane dropped 4,900 m in 30 seconds before landing safely in Saudi Arabia.
UAE prosecutors say his radicalisation began in 2017 while studying at Melbourne’s RMIT University.

History

Historical Context

On September 11 2001 al-Qaeda hijacked four U.S. airliners, killing 2,977 people and prompting the FBI’s massive PENTTBOM probe. The attack, carried out by 19 hijackers led by Mohamed Atta, spurred global airport-security overhauls, passenger-intervention procedures and NATO’s first Article 5 invocation, measures that remain central to preventing incidents like the 2024 flydubai cockpit-takeover attempt.

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Story summary

Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami attempted to hijack a flydubai jet bound for Israel.
He planned to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport to cause maximum casualties.
Captain Smit Machchhar unlocked the cockpit, enabling passengers to subdue the attacker.
The plane dropped 4,900 m in 30 seconds before landing safely in Saudi Arabia.
UAE prosecutors say his radicalisation began in 2017 while studying at Melbourne’s RMIT University.

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