Israeli authorities received passenger and crew details for flydubai flight FZ1073 before it departed Dubai for Tel Aviv on 30 September 2026, including the crew's nationalities, according to officials familiar with the matter. The Omani co-pilot was not flagged before the flight, according to the officials. The flight was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after an attack on the captain.
The UAE Attorney-General, Counsellor Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said on 3 October that the co-pilot attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar with a cockpit crash axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft. Al Shamsi described the incident as an attempted terrorist act. Passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot after the aircraft entered a steep descent.
