Russia

Moscow, October 4, 2026. Russian media are covering the attack on board Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv largely by reporting on investigations by Western media outlets. Meduza, citing the Emirati agency WAM, reports that the UAE's Attorney General, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, has described the attack as an attempted "terrorist act": the second pilot allegedly injured the commander with the emergency axe stored in the cockpit and tried to take control. The same article notes that the prosecutor did not specify the suspect's motives.

The suspect's identity is the main focus of the coverage. Meduza, which relies on ABC News and CNN, names him as Hammam al-Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani who was a copilot trainee at Oman Air in 2024, but was removed from flights after "extremist materials" were discovered, and then worked for Royal Air Maroc before joining Flydubai eight months ago. Vedomosti, which cites Bloomberg, mentions that Oman Air fired him due to his "attachment to radical views" and estimates that this revelation will raise questions about his hiring. RIA Novosti, citing the Telegraph, adds that he took a distance learning course in aviation management at Buckinghamshire New University from 2020 to 2023, without any pilot training.

The Israeli dimension is being highlighted. Sputnik, which cites unnamed sources, claims that the suspect admitted wanting to crash the plane in Israel, and reports Benjamin Netanyahu's comments that the attacker wanted to crash the plane as it approached the country. Vedomosti emphasizes that the presence of an Omani pilot on a flight to Tel Aviv was already a concern, as Israel and Oman do not have official diplomatic relations; Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev sees this as a "flagrant violation of the agreement" and is calling for an investigation by the Shin Bet.

Passengers' accounts are completing the picture. Sputnik cites Israeli plumber Yaniv Hayoun, who says he pulled on the controls to level the plane until a third pilot arrived. Moskovskij Komsomolets, citing the New York Post, reports that some passengers claim that crew members asked them to release the subdued attacker, although this has not been confirmed. Vedomosti specifies that the plane, with over 170 people on board, landed in Saudi Arabia on September 30, and technical inspections are underway.