BHUBANESWAR l sunday l october 04, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l LATE CITY EDITION IAF chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh called the arrival of fifth-generation fighters in India’s neighbourhood a ‘cause for worry’ CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI UAE confirms crash axe use for Flydubai attack Hammam al-Hammami reportedly the co-pilot, motive not clear yet; Crown Prince meets Smit E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi The co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073 attempted to carry out a “terrorist attack” with a crash axe while the aircraft was flying from Dubai to Israel, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said on Saturday according to the state news agency WAM. UAE Prosecutor General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said an investigation had found that the copilot “had attempted to carry out a terrorist attack”. He said the copilot attacked the pilot inside the cockpit with a crash axe in a bid to take control of the aircraft. The co-pilot was identified as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national. However, Emirati authorities and Flydubai have not Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum with Captain Smit Machchhar at a UAE hospital | PTI When Oman barred him from flying Al-Hammami was previously barred from flying in Oman over concerns about his radical ideological views, the Wall Street Journal reported publicly named him. Israeli officials had said the co-pilot was an Omani national, while Oman has not commented about it yet. A crash axe is normally kept in an aircraft cockpit for emergency purposes, including situations involving a crash or forced landing of the aircraft. The UAE prosecutor general said the probe into the suspect’s motives, remained ongoing and that the findings would be released after the completion of the “necessary procedures”. The incident took place last Wednesday aboard the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight. Most of the passengers were Israeli nationals. A reserve Flydubai pilot who was travelling as a passenger took control of the aircraft after the cockpit terror attack and landed GOLDEN FINISH: INDIA END ON HIGH Indraneel Das Express @ asian games Nagoya I T was like the last day of a wedding. Barring an equestrian event on Sunday morning, the festivities are over; done and dusted for the next four years. The overlays are being peeled one after the other. The temporary structures are getting dismantled and weary volunteers are slowly leaving their stations. Only the Closing Ceremony remains. After a slightly iffy start, the sun has been shining from an Indian perspective. India won as many as five gold on Saturday. It began with women’s archery and golf in the morning. The men’s cricket team kept their date with destiny before the men’s hockey team booked their LA28 spot. The highlight, though, arrived in the form of an incomparable run to gold in the women’s individual recurve archery . It was enough to propel India to fourth place in the medals tally with 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze. However, it has to be noted that Uzbekistan could take the fourth spot if they win gold in the equestrian event on Sunday Even if Saturday . saw two of India’s beloved sides winning gold, the day belonged to Kumkum Mohod, the 17-year-old India players celebrate after beating Malaysia in the men’s hockey final to win the gold medal on Saturday | PTI Bright future What is heartening is that almost all the medallists from India are young while some of them made their debut. A healthy sign with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics just two years away archer whose unerring accuracy with a bow and arrow dethroned the might of the South Koreans. If she was raging in faraway Okazaki sports park, wrestlers — Aman Sehrawat was the standout — scorched the mat. On top of that, there was a welcome gold in golf — Pranavi Urs became the first Indian woman to bag gold. India cricket team’s win over Pakistan was the icing on the cake. Though there were no handshakes, they had the gold medal dangling around their necks at least — unlike in the Asia Cup which is still lying in the Asian Cricket Council headquarters. India’s overall medals tally (85) and gold (21) was well below the high of Hangzhou (107 & 28). But, after a head-scratching first week, this was a fine comeback. Over to P11 Doha.  safely at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. The injured pilot, Indian national, Captain Smit Machchhar, is recovering well and remained under medical care, the Indian Embassy said. Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum praised Machchhar after visiting him in hospital. He said the pilot had “embodied the highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life”. “From us, and from the leadership of the nation, he has our full appreciation and praise,” Hamdan said. “We are proud that he is part of our team, and part of what the UAE stands for a nation of compassion, of peace and a nation of life,” he said. express read Over 150 detained on Day 2 of protests against CEC New Delhi: Activists of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) staged a protest for the second consecutive day against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with around 150 protesters detained while they were marching towards Jantar Mantar amid heavy police deployment on Saturday | P5 WITH THIS ISSUE The Great Everest Invasion PLUS 12 P AGES Rape accused shot and injured after trying to stab cop and flee A s i s h M e h ta @ Bhubaneswar The man accused of raping a 26-year-old woman by holding her at gunpoint about four days ago was shot and injured by police in an encounter at Bharatpur-Chandaka Road on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on Saturday, after he allegedly tried to stab a sub-inspector with a screwdriver while attempting to flee. The accused, identified as Sreedhar Panda alias Santosh (24), was intercepted by a police team on the road around 3.45 pm. Panda allegedly lunged at the sub-inspector with the screwdriver, following which the officer fired two rounds in self-defence. Panda sustained bullet injuries on his right leg and was rushed to Capital Hospital, where his condition is stated to be stable. A native of Jagannathprasad in Ganjam district, Panda had been living in a rented house at Chakeisiani in Mancheswar area. He has been a petty criminal and earlier arrested by Khandagiri and Tamando police in 2023 for theft. According to police, Panda entered the victim’s rented room in Gada Sahi around 7 pm after noticing that the door was not fully latched. He was noticed and confronted by the woman. With his face covered by a towel, he allegedly threatened her with a firearm and demandCONTINUED ON P5 ed her laptop and mobile phone.