by Rose Gleason '29 on October 8, 2026
News - National & Global
On Sept. 30, an attack occurred on a Flydubai flight that was travelling from Dubai, UAE, to Tel Aviv, Israel. The plane was a Boeing 737 MAX 8 with more than 170 people aboard. The attack occurred when the plane was roughly 34,000 feet in the air. According to witnesses and reports, the co-pilot, Hammamal-Hammami, attacked the captain, Smit Machchhar, with the aircraft’s emergency crash axe. The co-pilot said he was going to pray in the back of the plane. When he got up from his seat, he hit the pilot in the back of the head with the weapon. The pilot did not immediately recognize the blow as coming from his partner. After the physical harm, the aircraft quickly decreased altitude at a scary and dangerous speed. To be exact, the plane dropped 16,000 feet in around 30 seconds. The sudden movement put stress on the plane, as well as the passengers. The plane was saved by the incredible response of the passengers and the captain. Although severely wounded, the captain was able to open the cockpit door to notify the passengers. The passengers were then able to intervene and stop the force of the co-pilot. The passengers entered the cockpit to stop the damage and harm. Fortunately, other pilots were on the flight and entered the cockpit to take control of the plane. The pilots aboard worked to safely land the plane in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The attacker was taken into custody in Saudi Arabia, where he is being questioned and held. The investigation is being treated as a serious offence due to al-Hammami’s extreme views. He believes that all Jewish people deserve to die and was fired from his last piloting job at Oman Air due to these beliefs. UAE made the man go through a deradicalization process in order to fly for the country. Initially, officials were not fully clear on the motive of al-Hammami’s decision to attack Captain Machchhar. On Oct. 3, UAE authorities officially declared the attack as an attempted terrorist attack. Officials believe al-Hammami wanted to take control of the plane and kill the people aboard. Captain Machahhar was taken for medical treatment and is praised for his efforts to save the people and the plane. He is reported to be in stable condition. The passengers have continued their travels to Israel. Flydubai has temporarily stopped flights to and from Israel.