TEL AVIV, ISRAEL — A widely shared video on social media alleges that the co-pilot of Flydubai Flight 1073 shouted “Death to America” before attempting to hijack the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight on September 30, 2026. This alarming claim has prompted a closer look into the facts surrounding the incident.
### Claim: Flydubai co-pilot shouted ‘Death to America’
The footage began spreading online following the diversion of Flydubai Flight 1073 to Saudi Arabia due to an onboard emergency. According to early reports, the flight’s captain, Smit Machchhar, was assaulted by the co-pilot, who is an Omani national. Authorities are still investigating the precise sequence of events and the underlying motives.
A post on X (formerly Twitter) utilized unrelated video footage, claiming it depicted the Flydubai co-pilot being subdued after allegedly stabbing the captain. The post asserted that the crew member yelled threats such as, “I’m going to bomb the plane, Death to America, Death to Trump — Allahu Akbar.”
### Fact Check: The video is misleading
A reverse-image analysis reveals that the footage originates from a completely different event reported on July 28, 2025. That incident involved a passenger causing a major disturbance on an easyJet flight from London to Glasgow, during which he made verbal threats regarding a bomb, America, and Donald Trump.
British authorities and local media identified the individual in the easyJet incident as 41-year-old Abhay Devadas Nayak. Passengers restrained him during the flight, and he was arrested upon landing in Glasgow. Nayak subsequently faced charges for endangering an aircraft and its passengers, with family members noting he suffered from schizophrenia. Investigators later reported that Nayak claimed his outburst was a protest against Trump—who was visiting Scotland at the time—and confirmed he had no explosives.
Amid the fallout from the actual Flydubai incident, former U.S. President Donald Trump praised the pilot’s bravery, remarking, “He’s my kind of guy.”
### What actually happened on the Flydubai flight
The Flydubai event is entirely separate from the easyJet footage circulating online. According to passenger accounts shared with Israeli media, individuals onboard heard shouting during the cockpit confrontation, with one traveler stating that a crew member yelled “Allahu Akbar” prior to heading toward the cockpit.
Despite these passenger accounts, there is no verified evidence showing that the Flydubai co-pilot made any statements regarding “Death to America” or “Death to Trump.” Furthermore, official reports have not definitively identified who shouted “Allahu Akbar.”
Ultimately, the viral rumor merges two completely distinct events, falsely attributing statements made by a disruptive easyJet passenger in July 2025 to the Flydubai co-pilot.
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