Evidence

Multiple major outlets (NBC News, NPR, CNBC, The Washington Post, ABC News, Euronews) corroborate the core claim. UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi stated the co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073 (Dubai–Tel Aviv, Sept 30) "attacked the captain inside the flight deck using a crash axe and attempt[ed] to take control of the aircraft" as part of a planned terrorist act. The suspect was identified by AP, NBC, and other outlets as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, previously barred from flying by Oman over concerns about radical views. NPR reported, citing a source familiar with the investigation, that the co-pilot intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion International Airport; a secondary outlet (World Today Journal, citing Israeli media) added that he may have alternatively intended to hit a high-rise building in central Tel Aviv. Captain Smit Machchhar was named by ABC News and other outlets as the pilot who fought off the attacker; passengers and an off-duty crew member helped subdue him, and the plane diverted safely to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.