Flydubai Terror Attack: Two More Pilots Detained as United Airlines Acts
Two more flydubai co-pilots have been detained in the UAE following the foiled terror attack aboard flight FZ1073 on 30 September.
By The Aviation Hub
5 min read
Updated October 13, 2026 
Two Maldivian co-pilots employed by flydubai have been detained in the United Arab Emirates in connection with the attempted terror attack aboard the airline's flight FZ1073 on 30 September 2025. The detentions were first reported in the Maldives on 3 October, with a follow-up on 8 October confirming that the pilots' families had been notified by the Maldivian embassy.
The case has since attracted wider international attention, raising questions about how a pilot with known extremist connections was able to join and fly for a commercial carrier serving Tel Aviv.
What Happened on Flight FZ1073
View from the Wing reports that First Officer Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani co-pilot, attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe during the Dubai to Tel Aviv flight. Passengers and crew intervened, and two additional pilots who were travelling aboard the aircraft as passengers brought it safely to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Emirati prosecutors say al-Hammami intended to crash the aircraft into the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport. They also allege he used two earlier flights on the same route to familiarise himself with the approach and the airport, and that a long-standing fascination with the September 11 attacks contributed to his decision to pursue an aviation career.
According to View from the Wing, prosecutors state that al-Hammami has confessed, and that he was radicalised while living in Australia before deliberately seeking a cockpit role in order to carry out the attack.
Who Are the Two Detained Co-Pilots
The two detained men are Maldivian nationals. View from the Wing notes they were the two most recently recruited among six Maldivian pilots working for flydubai at the time. Both lived in the same building as al-Hammami, and both had previously operated flights to Israel.
UAE authorities have not disclosed what either man is accused of, or whether they are alleged to have had prior knowledge of the attack. No charges have been made public.
The Background Check Failure
The case has exposed a significant gap in the aviation industry's security screening. Oman Air removed al-Hammami from flying duties in 2024 after discovering extremist material, according to View from the Wing. Despite that, Emirati prosecutors say he held a valid licence, provided a certificate of good conduct, and passed the professional and security checks required to join flydubai.
The fact that concerns serious enough to end his career at one national carrier did not prevent him from being hired by another is central to the wider debate now unfolding about pilot vetting across the industry.
flydubai's Internal Investigation
View from the Wing also reports that flydubai informed Israeli authorities it had dismissed several employees following its own internal investigation. Whether those dismissals are connected to the two detained Maldivian co-pilots has not been confirmed. No further detail has been released by the airline.
You can find background on flydubai's fleet and operations via the Airline Search tool.
United Airlines Grounds a Captain in Response
The broader fallout has reached the United States. Paddle Your Own Kanoo reports that United Airlines has grounded Captain Ibrahim R. Mossallam for a second time in three years. Hours after the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023, Captain Mossallam posted on Facebook describing the events as "a resistance by a brave people" and characterising the attack as "not an unprovoked attack but a response to this past years attacks by the Zionist regime."
United initially grounded him with pay in late 2023 while conducting a review, then went quiet. The airline never disclosed the outcome of that review, and Paddle Your Own Kanoo understands that he was permitted to return to flying. Following the FZ1073 attack, United has again removed him from service. The airline confirmed: "We have withheld this pilot from service pending an ongoing review."
Paddle Your Own Kanoo is clear that there is no evidence Captain Mossallam is involved in any form of extremism. His grounding relates solely to the social media posts made in 2023 and the renewed scrutiny those comments have attracted in the current climate.
The Political Backdrop in the Maldives
View from the Wing notes that the Maldives holds strongly anti-Israel political positions, and that a ban on entry by Israeli passport holders came into law on 15 April 2025. The outlet has previously reported on the development of that legislation, including the Maldivian government's concern about how it would affect Arab citizens of Israel.
That context has led some observers to ask whether the political environment in the Maldives is relevant to understanding the background of the detained co-pilots, though UAE authorities have not made any such connection publicly.
The Bottom Line
The flydubai FZ1073 case is no longer just the story of one attacker. Two further arrests, a separate grounding at a major US carrier, and the revelation that al-Hammami had already been flagged and removed from flying at Oman Air paint a picture of systemic questions that the industry will need to answer. The central issue, how an individual known to one employer as a security risk could pass vetting at another, has not been resolved.
Our Squawk 7700 hub carries the full incident archive and live emergency tracking. We will update our coverage if flydubai, UAE prosecutors, or any aviation regulator releases further information.
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