Passengers describe restraining alleged Flydubai cockpit attacker

Four passengers who reportedly helped restrain the alleged attacker aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and described tying the co-pilot with a headphone cable. Passenger and doctor Shota Musayev treated wounded captain Smit Machchhar before reserve pilots landed the aircraft in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, according to The Jerusalem Post and The New York Times.¹⁷

A struggle in the cockpit

Reports from The New York Times, CBS News and The Independent said the Omani co-pilot stabbed Machchhar and that the aircraft entered a steep descent. According to CBS, the co-pilot seemed to be attempting to bring down the aircraft. The precise circumstances and motive remain under investigation.¹²⁴

Machchhar said he had suffered numerous wounds and fallen to the floor but fought to get up because he believed the passengers would otherwise die. He opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and others aboard to reach and restrain the co-pilot. Passenger Yaniv Hayun said he believed Machchhar unlocked the door before collapsing.⁴⁵⁷

The Jerusalem Post reported that four passengers tied the co-pilot with a headphone cable inside the cockpit and told him to speak English. They said he asked them to kill him after he was restrained and that they remained unsure whether other crew members were involved. Shota Musayev, a passenger and doctor, stabilised Machchhar and temporarily treated his wounds.⁷

The pair, who had not been publicly identified, stabilised the aircraft, issued a mayday call and landed in Tabuk. The New York Times also reported that two reserve pilots brought the aircraft down safely.¹⁶

Published totals for those aboard differ. The Independent reported 182 people, while Euronews listed 174 passengers and six crew members, a total of 180. The Independent reported a drop exceeding 14,000 feet within under 30 seconds, while The New York Times put the descent at almost 17,000 feet, a figure that has been challenged.¹⁴⁵⁶

Investigation and unanswered questions

The UAE is leading the investigation, with Israeli representatives participating, according to CBS News and The Hindu. Saudi authorities arrested and questioned the co-pilot after the landing; CBS later reported that he was undergoing another round of interrogation in the UAE. His motive has not been established.¹²³⁴

CBS News reported that an initial Israeli inquiry assessed the incident as probably the work of a lone actor and that investigators viewed it as resembling a suicide attempt more than a conventional hijacking. It also reported that the co-pilot shouted for others to kill him after he was restrained. The Jerusalem Post separately reported a similar account from passengers, but the assessment remains preliminary.²⁷

CBS identified the accused co-pilot as Hamam al Hamami, an Omani citizen who was not born in Oman. It reported that Oman Air surveillance found al Hamami visiting radical websites and that Flydubai hired him without vetting him with the Omani government. Netanyahu said the co-pilot had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination.¹²³

Scrutiny of pre-flight checks

The Hindu reported that Emirati authorities supplied Israel with passenger and crew details, including nationalities, before the flight, but that Israel raised no warning about anyone aboard. The Shin Bet said responsibility for checking passenger lists from foreign flights lay with the Transportation Ministry. Transport Minister Miri Regev said security agencies were responsible for aviation security and that her ministry had received neither a passenger list nor a warning.³

Netanyahu said Israel has longstanding arrangements with foreign airlines intended to prevent pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel from operating flights into the country.³

Passengers honoured and recovery support

He said the four passengers would light a torch representing civilian heroism at Israel’s Independence Day ceremony. Euronews separately reported that Netanyahu invited Machchhar and his family to Israel and asked the captain and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to participate in the ceremony.⁵⁷

The Jerusalem Post reported that two online fundraisers had raised more than $79,000 combined for Machchhar’s recovery. One fundraiser run by Jewish Breaking News brought in over $73,000, and another, set up by Tal Dooreck, received more than $6,000.⁷