Emirati investigators say FlyDubai co-pilot used crash axe in attempted terrorist attack

Updated October 3, 2026 at 7:29 AM EDT

TEL AVIV, Israel — Officials in the United Arab Emirates announced Saturday that the assault aboard a commercial plane full of passengers heading from Dubai to Tel Aviv earlier this week was an attempted terrorist attack, agreeing with statements previously made by Israeli officials.

Emirati investigators reiterated that the investigation is ongoing, and that they are still working to uncover the motive surrounding the attack on FlyDubai flight FZ IO73.

Several countries, including Saudi Arabia and Israel, are investigating the circumstances around the incident on Wednesday – which involved the co-pilot attacking the pilot midflight and attempting to seize the flight controls. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said he believed the attacker had intended to crash the plane with all 174 people on board.

The flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, where both the pilot and co-pilot were rushed to the hospital with injuries. All other passengers and crew were safe and accounted for.

Both pilots have been transferred to the UAE for continued questioning, according to Saudi officials.

Investigators in the UAE said the co-pilot who carried out the attack assaulted the pilot of the plane using what's called a crash axe – a lightweight emergency tool stored in the cockpit to break through panels or jammed doors in the event of a crash. The statement said the co-pilot then tried to take control of the plane's flight mechanisms.

A person briefed on the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly, told NPR that Israeli officials have already questioned the assailant, and that Israel is not commenting on it out of respect for the Emiratis who are leading the investigation. That person also said Israel had no specific warning about a threat to Israelis involving an airplane.

Ariel Schalit / AP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the plane "went into a spin and began to plunge," then passengers and crew members got into the cockpit and subdued the attacker as he was "sabotaging the aircraft's systems."

Netanyahu said the passengers were able to enter the cockpit because the pilot unlocked its door during the attack. He said there happened to be another flight crew on the plane, who sprung into action to help make the emergency landing.

Several passengers NPR talked to upon their arrival in Tel Aviv confirmed many of those details.

In a video released by Israeli officials, one of the passengers who entered the cockpit, Yaniv Hayun, described what happened in a meeting with Netanyahu upon arriving in Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, his clothes still stained with blood.

"I ran towards the cockpit, and then there was a very sharp nosedive and I flew to the side," Hayun said, adding that he and another passenger entered the cockpit. "I grabbed the attacker and I put him in a chokehold and then started to pull up on the controls."

Hayun said he's a plumber, but thought to right the plane that way after seeing it on a TV show.

Israelis are hailing the passengers who subdued the attacker, and the pilot, who is from India, as heroes.

The aviation tracking site Flightradar24 said data shows at one point the plane descended more than 14,000 feet, or nearly three miles, in under 30 seconds — way faster than normal.

FlyDubai is a budget airline established by Dubai's government and is wholly owned by Dubai's sovereign wealth fund, the Investment Corporation of Dubai.

Attacked pilot hailed as hero

There was no official identification of the suspected attacker. But Netanyahu said on Fox & Friends he is from Oman, raising the question of how a pilot from a country with no diplomatic relations with Israel was permitted to fly there. Omani authorities have not commented.

The Israeli and Indian governments have identified the pilot who was attacked as Indian national Smit Machchhar, and praised his bravery.

"Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster," Netanyahu said. "He is a true hero."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his country is proud of Machchhar and prays for his quick recovery. India's Foreign Ministry said the pilot had been sent to Abu Dhabi for further medical attention and recovery.

The incident comes at a sensitive political moment in Israel with national elections less than a month away, a vote that will determine whether Netanyahu remains prime minister. He has been campaigning on the notion that he alone can protect Israelis from security threats.

Passengers land in Tel Aviv

Following the emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, the passengers were later flown to Israel on a different FlyDubai plane.

Ben Gurion International Airport was full of journalists awaiting their arrival. There were also many families, some with balloons and flowers to welcome their loved ones home after a scary experience.

Ariel Schalit / AP

The passengers slowly emerged through the arrivals door dragging suitcases behind them, some crying, some smiling, looking relieved or exhausted.

Dan Zoler was traveling with his wife and two small children on the flight. He told NPR that after the pilot was stabbed, he saw three passengers throw themselves on the co-pilot who carried out the attack, and capture him. He said another pilot on the plane took the controls and landed the plane in Saudi Arabia.

Ariel Schalit / AP

Throughout the ordeal, Zoler said he was trying to distract his young son, telling him this is not normal.

"I told him that it's something that happened like once in 25 years. That I want him to be calm, and that this will never happen again. And we are happy to come back," he said smiling, patting his son on the head.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates normalized relations in 2020. Flights between the countries are a main connection for vacationers and happen several times a day. FlyDubai said it was suspending its flights to and from Israel while authorities investigate the incident.

Itay Stern contributed reporting from Tel Aviv; Ahmed Abuhamda contributed from Cairo.

Copyright 2026 NPR