Fact Check: Did Flydubai co-pilot shout ‘Death to Trump’, ‘Death to America’?

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL: A viral video claims to show that the Flydubai Flight 1073 co-pilot, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, shouted “Death to America” before trying to hijack the plane on September 30, 2026. The claim has raised concerns, calling for a fact-check.

Claim: Flydubai co-pilot shouted ‘Death to America’

The viral video began circulating after flydubai Flight 1073 was diverted to Saudi Arabia following a serious incident on board. Initial reports said the flight’s captain, Indian commercial pilot Smit Machchhar, was attacked by the co-pilot, an Omani national. The circumstances surrounding the incident, including the motive and the precise sequence of events, are under investigation.

An X user sharing the unrelated video claimed it showed the flydubai co-pilot being restrained after stabbing the captain. The post alleged that he had shouted: “I’m going to bomb the plane, Death to America, Death to Trump — Allahu Akbar.”

Fact Check: The video is misleading

A reverse-image search of frames from the video traces it to a report published on July 28, 2025. The report said a man had caused a disturbance on an easyJet flight travelling from London to Glasgow and had made threats including references to bombing the aircraft, America and Trump.

The man was subsequently identified by British authorities and Indian media as 41-year-old Abhay Devadas Nayak, who was restrained by passengers and arrested after the aircraft landed in Glasgow.

Reports said he was charged with endangering the safety of an aircraft or people on board. His family in Bengaluru also said he had schizophrenia.

Later, a report said Nayak told authorities that he was protesting against Trump, who was in Scotland at the time. He also reportedly confirmed that he was not carrying a bomb.

Later, President Donald Trump also hailed the heroics of the Flydubai pilot, saying, "He's my kind of guy. 

What happened on Flydubai on board

The Flydubai incident is separate. Passenger accounts reported by Israeli media said people on board heard someone shouting “Allahu Akbar” during the confrontation. One passenger reportedly said a crew member shouted the phrase before moving towards the cockpit.

However, there is no credible evidence establishing that the flydubai co-pilot made the “Death to America” or “Death to Trump” statements contained in the viral video. The identity of the person who allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” was also not established in the reports cited.

The viral claim therefore combines footage from two unrelated incidents and falsely attributes the July easyJet passenger’s statements to the flydubai co-pilot.