Investigation underway to determine ‘all circumstances’, including motive, says UAE attorney general. Published October 3, 2026 October 3, 2026 The United Arab Emirates attorney general has said that a Flydubai co-pilot “attempted to carry out a terrorist act” during a flight earlier this week, using an ax against the pilot inside the cockpit. The state news agency WAM quoted Hamad Saif. al-Shamsi said Saturday that the attacker of Wednesday’s flight FZ1073 attempted to take control of the plane’s flight controls. He said the investigation is underway “to uncover the full circumstances of the incident, its motives and related connections, in addition to completing technical examinations and examining physical and digital evidence.” The final results will be announced as soon as the necessary procedures are completed, al-Shamsi said. A crash ax is a tool kept in the cockpit to help pilots get through the plane. in emergencies. The plane carrying 174 passengers was heading from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv in Israel on Wednesday when an unnamed co-pilot injured Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, who opened the cockpit to seek help. The plane briefly sank about 17,000 feet (5,180 meters) before a second new pilot recovered it under control after passengers and crew subdued the attacker. The flight was diverted and forced to make an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, northwest Saudi Arabia. The co-pilot was arrested by Saudi authorities and handed over to the United Arab Emirates while they lead the investigation. Machchhar was also returned to the United Arab Emirates. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel was investigating whether the co-pilot had acted under someone’s direction, warning that anyone involved would pay a “heavy price.” Flydubai halted all flights on its route to Israel after the incident and Israel’s El Al canceled its scheduled flights, stranding some Israelis in the United Arab Emirates. At 22:00 GMT on Friday, the first repatriation flight, operated by Israeli airline Arkia, arrived at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport from Dubai.
