Every detail of this story gets a little stranger. It all started with a Flydubai flight from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv in Israel on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
After a pilot on board the plane – identified as Omani citizen Hamam al-Hammami, per NBC News – attacked the captain with a crash axe, flight 1073 was diverted to Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia, according to CNN. During the ordeal, the flight dropped 17,400 feet in minutes, that outlet said.
Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, fought back against al-Hammami’s attack even though he was “severely injured” according to the NBC News report. In a Saturday report, the Associated Press explained that Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to enter and help. Machchhar survived despite his injuries.
Two “mystery pilots” were on the plane, according to passenger Daniel Schlichter, cited by the AP. Schlichter said the pilots were on board because they planned to fly the plane back to Dubai from Tel Aviv, a system called “deadheading.”
When those two pilots heard passengers screaming about what was happening in the cockpit, they ran to help. What they found was a bloody scene – Machchhar was terribly hurt and others were grappling with al-Hammami.
“Schlichter said that one of the traveling pilots practically hurtled the scrum to enter the cockpit and seize the controls,” the AP reported. Schlichter said one of the men “acted really like a hero,” and took over the plane. He also said it took about 10 minutes after the men took over in the cockpit for the plane to stabilize.
Things were still scary, however. Schlichter explained that the passengers didn’t know who the men were and remained frightened that the plane was being hijacked and they could be taken to Iran. Most of the 174 passengers on the plane were Israelis – both Israel and the U.S. are currently at war with Iran.
After around 45 minutes, the men in the cockpit announced that they would be landing in Saudi Arabia. As of Thursday, the passengers had made it safely to Tel Aviv, CNN said.
According to NBC News, multiple sources from three agencies briefed on the investigation and a diplomat in the Middle East identified al-Hammami as the attacker. The Wall Street Journal reported that he had previously been banned from flying in Oman due to his “radical views,” and Doron Spielman, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told NBC News that the alleged attacker “talks on his social media about killing Jews.”
Netanyahu himself described the actions of the two pilots who were able to safely land the plane as “Hollywood on steroids.” He also said that Israeli citizens on the flight acted like heroes.
“Oman Air did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether he previously worked for them,” NBC News said of al-Hammami. Meanwhile, a Flydubai spokesperson said this Saturday: “We recognize that there are many questions at this stage; however, the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation. We are therefore not in a position to comment further beyond our published statements.”
UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al Shamsi said that an investigation into the incident has so far revealed that al-Hammami tried to carry out a terrorist attack.
Al-Hammami was transferred from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi on Thursday, the Saudi Interior Ministry said, according to NBC News. While the statement said his health had improved, the outlet noted that al-Hammami’s medical condition was “unclear” as of Saturday. The statement said his health had “improved,” but his medical condition was unclear.
So far there is no indicatation that al-Hammami has ties to Iran. However, President Donald Trump said this week that the U.S. would hit Iran “very hard” if investigations reveal it was behind the incident, Fox News said.
