New “Fly Dubai” case.. The UAE Attorney General reveals the details

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The UAE Attorney General revealed new details about the Flydubai incident, explaining that the accused co-pilot, an Omani national, planned to control the plane and use it in a suicide operation, and that his actions related to the incident began in Australia in 2017.

The Public Prosecutor said that the accused surprised the pilot of the plane and assaulted him with an emergency axe, noting that during his career he moved between several airline companies before joining Flydubai, and met the company’s professional and security employment requirements, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).

The Public Prosecutor added that the accused moved during his professional career between a number of airline companies in different countries, as he worked for Oman Air from 2020 until 2024, then he joined Royal Air Maroc in early 2025 and worked there for several months, before moving to Flydubai in January 2026.

The incident dates back to September 30, when flight FZ1073, operated by Flydubai, heading from Dubai to Tel Aviv, suffered a sharp landing exceeding 16,000 feet within about 30 seconds, according to flight tracking data reviewed by Reuters.

The agency reported that the co-pilot assaulted the flight commander with an emergency ax inside the cockpit, wounding him, before the captain could open the cockpit door and passengers intervened to control the co-pilot. Two reserve pilots on board the plane took control and diverted the flight to the Saudi city of Tabuk, where it landed safely.

The plane was carrying more than 170 passengers, the majority of whom were Israelis, while the Saudi authorities detained the co-pilot after landing. The UAE authorities opened an investigation to uncover the circumstances and motives of the incident, before the UAE Attorney General announced that investigations revealed that the co-pilot was planning to control the plane and use it in a suicide operation.