Hijacker planned to crash plane into Tel Aviv tower, expected to face death penalty

Omani co-pilot who attempted to hijack flight to Tel Aviv with the intent of crashing it is expected to face the death penalty in the United Arab Emirates.

By World Israel News Staff

The Omani co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of a flydubai flight bound for Israel and attempting to seize control of the aircraft is expected to face the death penalty in the United Arab Emirates, according to a senior Emirati official familiar with the investigation.

Hamam al-Hammami, 29, is being held in the UAE as investigators examine his alleged attempt to take control of Flight FZ1073 on Sept. 30 after attacking Capt. Smit Machchhar with a crash axe inside the cockpit.

UAE authorities have now formally classified the incident as an attempted terrorist attack.

Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said investigators determined that the co-pilot “attempted to carry out a terrorist attack” and began executing his plan during the flight by attacking the captain and attempting to take control of the aircraft.

The investigation remains underway, and UAE authorities have not publicly announced formal charges or a requested sentence.

A senior Emirati official, however, said al-Hammami is expected to receive the death penalty once the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings are completed, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

UAE anti-terrorism law allows either life imprisonment or the death penalty when the terrorist seizure of an aircraft results in injury. Machchhar suffered serious injuries during the attack.

The investigation is also examining claims that al-Hammami intended to use the aircraft not merely to cause it to crash, but to seize control and fly it into a building in Israel in an attack modeled on the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.

Information emerging from the investigation has identified Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Towers as a possible intended target, although Emirati authorities have not publicly confirmed that allegation.

Investigators are attempting to determine whether al-Hammami had selected a specific target before the flight, whether anyone assisted him and whether he had links to an extremist organization.

The inquiry has expanded into an international investigation involving several countries.

A senior Emirati official said Mossad personnel and Israeli aviation specialists had arrived in Abu Dhabi to take part alongside Emirati investigators and intelligence officials from Saudi Arabia and Oman, as well as representatives of US intelligence agencies.

Israeli officials had previously confirmed that Israeli investigators would participate in the UAE-led probe.

No connection between al-Hammami and an organized terrorist group has publicly been established. Investigators are examining whether he acted alone.

Al-Hammami’s employment history has become a central part of the inquiry after officials disclosed that he had previously been barred from flying by Oman over concerns that he had developed extremist views.

He had worked for Oman Air before being removed from flight duties and transferred to an administrative position.

Officials familiar with the matter said concerns about extremist material had played a role in the decision.

He subsequently left Oman Air and sought employment elsewhere.

Royal Air Maroc said al-Hammami completed three months of theoretical training with the Moroccan carrier in 2025 as part of its recruitment process but was ultimately not hired.

He later joined flydubai.

Investigators are now examining what information was available about his previous employment and whether warnings concerning him were passed between governments or airlines.

The senior Emirati official acknowledged that the hiring process is under scrutiny.

“You wouldn’t imagine that we would knowingly recruit a terrorist to an airline,” the official said.

“It is certainly fair to say there was a very serious failure here.”

Officials familiar with the case have said al-Hammami underwent standard employment security checks before joining flydubai, but those checks appear to have focused heavily on criminal records rather than a broader investigation into possible radicalization.

His assignment to a flight bound for Israel has raised a separate security question.

Al-Hammami is an Omani citizen, while Oman and Israel do not maintain diplomatic relations. Israeli officials have said arrangements with foreign airlines prohibit pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel from operating flights into the country.

Authorities are investigating how al-Hammami was nevertheless assigned to repeated Israel-bound flights.

He had reportedly flown to Israel on numerous occasions before the attack, including shortly beforehand.

Investigators are also examining his travel history, including reported visits to Syria, as well as his digital communications, social-media activity and electronic devices.

The attack occurred while Flight FZ1073 was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 182 people aboard, most of them Israelis.

According to UAE investigators, al-Hammami used the crash axe kept aboard the aircraft for emergencies to attack Machchhar and attempted to seize the controls.

The aircraft then entered an extraordinarily rapid descent, losing approximately 16,625 feet in just over 30 seconds, according to flight-tracking data.

Despite suffering multiple injuries, Machchhar managed to reach the cockpit door and unlock it, allowing others aboard the aircraft to enter.

Passengers and crew subdued al-Hammami, while flydubai pilots who were traveling aboard the aircraft took over the controls.

The aircraft was stabilized and diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.

Saudi authorities initially detained al-Hammami before transferring him to Abu Dhabi, where the investigation is being conducted.

The UAE’s public description of the incident as terrorism represented a significant development in the investigation.

Authorities initially provided relatively limited information while investigators examined whether the incident was a suicide attempt, a hijacking attempt or a politically motivated attack.

The attorney general said investigators are continuing to examine the suspect’s motives, possible connections and both physical and digital evidence before releasing their final conclusions.

Flydubai has also declined to discuss details while the investigation remains open, saying there are “many questions at this stage.”

The airline has suspended its Dubai-Tel Aviv service following the attack.