Hamam al-Hammami attacks flydubai pilot, Israel praises passengers and crew
A flydubai flight faced a scary moment when an Omani national, Hamam al-Hammami, attacked the Indian pilot with a crash ax in the cockpit.
Despite being hurt, Captain Smit Machchhar managed to open the door so Israeli passengers could step in and stop the attacker.
Israel's Foreign Ministry called it "The jihadist terrorist wanted to crash the Dubai-TLV flight and murder everyone on board. Instead, he was met by courageous Israeli passengers who fought back - alongside an Indian pilot and an Emirati crew determined to save the aircraft. Israelis, Emiratis, and Indians standing together against terror. That is the future of our region and the world," a rare moment of different nationalities working together under pressure.
Al-Hammami banned in Oman, airline probe
Turns out, al-Hammami was banned from flying in Oman due to extremist views but still ended up working at flydubai.
This has sparked big questions about airline security checks, especially since authorities are probing how a citizen of Oman, a nation with which Israel doesn't have diplomatic relations, was allowed to fly to Tel Aviv.
The incident happened days after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu met UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to boost cooperation, so expect more talks about ways to strengthen and develop them going forward.