Join our Community
Support ToI and remove all ads
Learn more
×

Smit Machchhar

Passengers from flydubai flight FZ1073 walk with their family members after they were saved from an alleged attempt to crash their plane, at Ben Gurion Airport, September 30, 2026. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
October 11, 2026, 11:51 am
Flydubai passengers said preparing huge class-action suit against airline, governments
Suit reportedly to seek hundreds of millions from Israel, UAE as some 100 of attacked plane’s 174 passengers sign on, led by bank exec Tzvika Manes who helped subdue attacker
By ToI Staff
(Left) Hamam al-Hammami, the copilot who tried to bring down a flydubai flight to Israel in a terror attack on September 30, 2026, seen in an undated image from his recently deleted LinkedIn profile; (right) al-Hammami seen after he was subdued and bound on the plane. (Channel 12 screenshot)
October 9, 2026, 11:06 pm
UAE confirms flydubai copilot was planning 9/11-style ‘suicide attack’ on Ben Gurion Airport
Attorney general says Hamam al-Hammami used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to ‘familiarize himself with route and airport,’ prepared by viewing pro-terror material and taking boxing lessons
By Reuters and ToI Staff
Illustrative: Passengers at the Ben Gurion International airport near Tel Aviv, August 23, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
October 7, 2026, 4:04 am
Israelis could lose US visa waiver after flydubai attack revealed security lapses — report
US delegation said expected in Israel to review compliance with 2023 agreement; flydubai reportedly seeks OK to resume Israel flights, but Regev nixes idea; Transportation Ministry refused security help last year — report
By Stav Levaton, ToI Staff, Lazar Berman and Sharon Wrobel
A flydubai plane takes off from Ben Gurion airport on September 30, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)
October 6, 2026, 2:06 pm
Israel was prepared to shoot down flydubai jet during attempted terror attack — report
CBS says fighter jets were scrambled after cockpit went silent; passenger who handcuffed copilot terrorist says group who tackled him briefly considered whether they needed to kill him, fearing he still had a knife
By ToI Staff and Reuters
Flights take off from Ben Gurion Airport on September 30, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)
October 4, 2026, 7:17 pm
Flydubai terrorist said to tell investigators he intended to crash plane into Ben Gurion Airport
Copilot Hammami then tried to crash airliner in desert after hero pilot opened cockpit door, passengers burst in; also said to reveal he originally planned attack for July, but canceled at last moment as he had a friend among crew members
By Nava Freiberg and ToI Staff
Captain Smit Machchhar (left) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Danny Danon via X, Screenshot/Ma’ayan Toaf/GPO)
October 4, 2026, 2:11 am
Flydubai captain says copilot asked to pray, then struck him from behind; describes exactly how he opened cockpit door
Speaking to PM, Smit Machchhar says terrorist Hamam al-Hammami kept crew outside from using code to enter cockpit; report says pilots from Iran, Syria, Iraq have flown airliners to Israel, and that al-Hammami had done so before
By Lazar Berman and ToI Staff
A sculpture made by India’s sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik depicts India’s pilot Smit Machchhar, the captain of flydubai flight FZ 1073, at a beach in Odisha’s Puri city on October 1, 2026. (AFP)
October 3, 2026, 5:16 pm
UAE says flydubai copilot used cockpit emergency ax to attack captain in ‘terrorist act’
Gulf state’s top prosecutor says probe into Omani attacker ongoing; Dubai’s crown prince visits wounded captain, says he ’embodied highest degrees of courage, care for human life’
By Agencies and ToI Staff
Illustrative: A flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft prepares for landing at Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, on September 30, 2026. (Jack Guez/AFP)
October 3, 2026, 6:42 am
Jewish communities worldwide on heightened alert after flydubai terror attack
Netanyahu spokesman says Israel ’employing additional procedures’ in light of ‘intelligence about threats against Israelis and Jews in Israel and around the world’
By Tomer Almagor
Hamam al-Hammami, the copilot who tried to bring down a flydubai flight to Israel in a terrorist attack on September 30, 2026, in an undated image from his deleted LinkedIn profile.
October 3, 2026, 3:20 am
Flydubai terrorist named as Hamam al-Hammami; was banned from flying by Oman for suspected extremism
ABC says Omani copilot who stabbed captain has indicated to investigators he intended to crash the plane in Israel; CNN says social media accounts in his name posted videos after the attack showing Israeli planes filmed from other cockpits and including al-Qaeda figures
By ToI Staff and Agencies
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, speaks at the Hili Forum 2026 in Abu Dhabi on September 7, 2026. (FADEL SENNA/AFP)
October 2, 2026, 5:47 pm
In first, senior UAE official calls flydubai plane attack an ‘act of terrorism’
Anwar Gargash warns against ‘simplistic interpretations’ and conspiracy theories surrounding incident; PM says Israel investigating whether attacker acted alone, warns ‘whoever sent him will pay heavy price’
By Nurit Yohanan, Lazar Berman and ToI Staff
Captain Smit Machchhar (left) speaks by video chat to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on October 2, 2026. (Screenshots via X)
October 2, 2026, 1:38 pm
‘I couldn’t let all of them die’: Flydubai captain recounts opening cockpit door with ‘last push’ after copilot stabbed him
Smit Machchhar tells India’s Modi he collapsed from wounds but was determined to save passengers as Tel Aviv-bound plane dropped 14,000 feet; his actions enabled Israelis to enter cockpit, tackle the copilot terrorist
By Agencies and ToI Staff
Footage aired on Channel 12 news on October 1, 2026, shows the moments after passengers thwarted an alleged attempt to crash a flydubai airliner on September 30, 2026. (Channel 12)
October 2, 2026, 12:30 am
The wounded captain, the bound attacker, shouts for a doctor and a pilot: New video shows chaos on flydubai flight
Captain Machchhar filmed explaining he can no longer squeeze his hand shut, after copilot ‘hit me so many times’; footage also shows passengers and crew guarding assailant: ‘This is terrorist, you understand?’
By ToI Staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with passengers who helped thwart a copilot's September 30, 2026, terror attack on a flydubai plane, at his office on October 1, 2026. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
October 1, 2026, 8:38 pm
Netanyahu says Omani copilot who tried to bring down flight ‘underwent Islamist radical indoctrination’
Official tells ToI that copilot’s social media ‘talks about killing Jews’; after passenger hero tells Netanyahu assailant called out ‘kill me, kill me,’ PM says this makes it ‘clear he was suicidal’
By ToI Staff, Agencies and Lazar Berman
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Yaniv Hayun, one of the Israelis who helped subdue a flydubai copilot who allegedly sought to crash a plane full of Israelis, on the passengers' return to Ben Gurion Airport on September 30, 2026. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)
October 1, 2026, 8:11 pm
Netanyahu turns the flydubai near-disaster into a perfect campaign prop
As the PM spins a thwarted attack to project strength and potentially boost his poll ratings, the prospect arises of a rotation agreement with Eisenkot to break the looming electoral deadlock
By Tal Schneider
Passengers embark on a FlyDubai aircraft at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel, September 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
October 1, 2026, 3:27 pm
UAE says probing whether attack on flydubai flight to Israel was terror
Initial probe into Omani pilot being carried out by Saudis, who will hand him over to Emiratis once done; Herzog recommends presidential medal for Israelis who thwarted attack
By Agencies, ToI Staff, Lazar Berman and Sharon Wrobel
Load More

Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community

Sign in or Register

Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By joining you agree to the terms and conditions
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community
Sign in or Register
Only ToI Community members can comment below articles
Forgot your password? / Send me a login link
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.
Back to top
Never miss breaking news on Israel
Get notifications to stay updated
You're subscribed
image
Register for free
and continue reading
Registering allows you to manage your newsletters and alerts and helps us improve your experience. It takes just a few seconds.
Already registered? Enter your email to sign in.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. Once registered, you’ll receive our Daily Edition email for free.
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Register
I forgot my password / Send me a sign in link
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.