FlyDubai co-pilot used crash ax to attack captain, UAE says

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The co-pilot of FlyDubai Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv attempted to “take control of the aircraft” to carry out a “terrorist act,” UAE officials said.

October 3, 2026 at 4:40 a.m. EDT2 minutes ago

An FlyDubai plane carrying Israeli passengers who had earlier been aboard another FlyDubai aircraft that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia approaches Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on Wednesday. (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)

The co-pilot who tried to hijack a flight bound for Israel on Wednesday used a crash ax to attack the captain in the cockpit, UAE officials said.

The co-pilot attempted to “take control of the aircraft” and carry out a “terrorist act,” UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said in a statement Saturday, published on the official Emirates News Agency.