FlyDubai co-pilot planned to crash flight into Ben Gurion Airport, UAE says
Por James C. Reynolds — – World RSS Feed
FlyDubai co-pilot planned to crash flight into Ben Gurion Airport, UAE says
UAE says suspect prepared for hijacking by watching material promoting terrorism and taking boxing lessons
James C. Reynolds Friday 09 October 2026 20:11 BST
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The co-pilot accused of trying to hijack a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv last week planned to crash the aircraft into a terminal at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in a suicide attack, the UAE attorney general said on Friday.
Attorney general Hamad Saif al Shamsi said investigators believe the 29-year-old Omani co-pilot had begun carrying out a premeditated terrorist plot to seize flight FZ1073 on September 30 when he was apprehended.
UAE public prosecutors found that the suspect had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to “familiarise himself with the flight route and the airport”, state news agency WAM reported.
The prosecutors believe the plan was inspired by the 9/11 attacks on the US. Their probe found there were signs of the suspect drifting towards “extremism and terrorism” as early as 2017, while studying in Australia.
The Boeing 737 aircraft was in Saudi airspace last Wednesday when the co-pilot attacked the captain with an axe mid-flight before being overwhelmed by others on board.
open image in galleryThe incident caused the airliner to plunge 16,000 feet in 30 seconds before two other pilots were able to take control and guide the aircraft to safety in Saudi Arabia.
Al Shamsi said the suspect had told investigators he had prepared psychologically and physically for the attack by viewing material promoting terrorism and taking boxing lessons.
After the incident, the suspect was transferred to the UAE, flydubai’s home country.
Investigators examined flydubai’s recruiting procedures and found the suspect had met all professional and security requirements, including holding a pilot’s licence and providing a certificate of good conduct.
“However, none of the procedures revealed any indications of his extremist views or his intention to carry out a terrorist plot,” Al Shamsi added.
He said the co-pilot had worked for airlines in different countries including Oman Air before joining flydubai in January 2026.
open image in galleryThe investigation found there were signs of the suspect drifting towards “extremism and terrorism” as early as 2017.
Police have also said the man was in New Zealand between November 2018 and May 2019 on a six-month student visa to complete a portion of his flight training for a UK-based company.
Royal Air Maroc has said that he underwent three months of training there in 2025, but that his application to work for the airline afterwards was rejected.
UAE officials have not identified the suspect; however, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters he had been identified as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national.
Saudi Arabia has launched a separate safety investigation into flight FZ1073, sources told Reuters.
US president Donald Trump, asked on Monday if he thinks Iran was responsible for the flydubai plane incident, said he personally does.
The incident has heightened security fears in Israel weeks before Israelis vote in the first election since the Hamas-led October 7 attack, with security a defining issue.
open image in galleryWitnesses on board the plane at the time told Israeli media that one pilot was stabbed by another, before passengers near the front of the plane helped force the attacker out of the cockpit and subdued him.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said previously that the co-pilot of the plane had tried to deliberately crash the aircraft after stabbing the pilot, but that passengers held him down while other pilots landed the plane.
Describing the event as “a highly severe security incident”, Netanyahu said Saudi authorities would interrogate the co-pilot.
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UAEOmanUSSaudi ArabiaTel AvivIsrael
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