UAE prosecutors state an Omani Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight into Ben Gurion Airport. The suspect, inspired by 9/11, was thwarted by the captain and passengers.
United Arab Emirates public prosecutors announced on Friday that the Omani co-pilot of a Flydubai flight who attacked his captain on September 30 had planned a suicide attack on Israel's Ben Gurion Airport. The statement, released by Attorney General Hamad Saif al Shamsi and published by state media, indicates the suspect intended to crash the aircraft into the terminal to cause "the greatest possible loss of life."
According to the UAE public prosecutors, the suspect’s plan was inspired by the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Investigators found that the co-pilot had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to "familiarise himself with the flight route and the airport." This was his third flight to the destination.
The suspect, identified in reports as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, had worked for several airlines, including Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, before joining Flydubai in January 2026. Royal Air Maroc stated that he underwent three months of training there in 2025, but his application to work for the airline afterwards was rejected.
Prosecutors noted that the suspect had met all professional and security requirements for employment at Flydubai. These requirements included holding a pilot's license, providing a certificate of good conduct, and completing necessary background checks. "None of the procedures revealed any indications of his extremist views or his intention to carry out a terrorist plot," the statement said.
The Attorney General stated that the suspect had been radicalized while studying in Australia "through reading extremist literature and following online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks." Investigators found signs of the suspect drifting towards "extremism and terrorism" as early as 2017.
Al Shamsi said the suspect told investigators he had prepared psychologically and physically for the attack by viewing material promoting terrorism and taking boxing lessons.
On September 30, the Omani co-pilot attacked the Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, with a crash axe while the aircraft was in Saudi airspace. The attack caused the plane to plunge 16,000 feet (4,900 meters) in 30 seconds. Part of the rudder was torn away during the descent.
The captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker. An off-duty pilot traveling on the plane took the controls and landed the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia. Most of the 182 people on board were Israeli. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the passengers and pilot as heroes and ordered a "thorough review of all security aspects of foreign civil aviation to Israel."
The UAE prosecutor's statement clarifies the motive behind the hijacking attempt, linking it to extremist ideology inspired by 9/11. It also highlights that the suspect passed standard aviation security checks, raising questions about the detection of radicalization in aviation personnel. The incident has prompted security reviews in Israel and a separate safety investigation by Saudi Arabia into flight FZ1073.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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