What happened? On Sunday, a co‑pilot of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv tried to wrestle control of the cockpit with an axe. Passengers fought back, locked the door, and eventually wrestled the plane for 30 minutes before it was diverted to Saudi Arabia.
The man, 30‑year‑old Hamam al‑Hammami, is said to have started “a drift towards extremism” while studying in Australia in 2017. UAE officials say he had tried to train himself for a suicide attack and even made a plan to crash the plane into Tel Aviv’s airport.
Security concerns rose after it emerged that the pilot had been banned from working for Oman Air for alleged radical views, but Flydubai hired him after only routine checks. Indian co‑pilot Capt Smit Mashichar is hailed as a hero for unlocking the cockpit and helping passengers regain control.
Australian authorities now investigate his links back home, while the incident has sparked a global debate over airline vetting and the risk of extremist influence in aviation.
