Alleged Flydubai hijacker planned ‘suicide attack’ on Tel Aviv’s airport, early investigation finds
The suspect confessed to acting alone and investigators said he used two earlier flights to scout the route and airport before the attack.
- On Friday, the United Arab Emirates Attorney General confirmed that an Omani Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash his aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport, targeting the passenger terminal to cause "the greatest possible number of casualties."
- Hamam al-Hammami drew inspiration from the September 11, 2001, attacks, leading him to pursue an aviation career; investigators found his Islamist radicalization began while studying in Australia in 2017.
- The suspect used two previous flights to familiarize himself with the route before attacking the captain with an axe during his third trip to Israel, according to investigators.
- Captain Smit Machchhar and passengers subdued al-Hammami after he assaulted the captain inside the cockpit, allowing the crew to divert the aircraft and land safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
- Despite al-Hammami's confession that he acted alone, UAE authorities are continuing to investigate potential accomplices, with the attorney general emphasizing the probe remains active regarding the suspect's broader connections.
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FlyDubai co-pilot intended to crash plane into Tel Aviv airport, UAE prosecutor says - Boston News, Weather, Sports
JERUSALEM (AP) — The axe-wielding co-pilot who attacked the captain of a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv last month intended to seize control of the airplane and...
It was his third flight to Tel Aviv and he had taken advantage of the previous two to plan the attack.
The Omani co-pilot who attacked the FlyDubai flight commander on 30 September planned to launch the plane against Tel Aviv International Airport, said US Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi on Friday. According to the findings of the investigation, released by the state media, he was inspired by the attacks of 11 September and sought to cause as many deaths as possible.
The suspect had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to "familiarize himself with the flight route and the airport," says the public prosecutor.
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