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Flydubai Terrorist Pilot Planned 9/11-Style Attack On Israel's Ben Gurion Airport

UAE investigators say he targeted the airline because it flew to Tel Aviv, and more than 170 passengers and crew helped avert the attack.

  • A FlyDubai co-pilot identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami attacked his captain with an emergency crash axe on Wednesday, allegedly intending to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed al-Hammami underwent "radical Islamist indoctrination" and had planned the attack before joining the Dubai state-owned airline specifically to target flights to Israel.
  • Indian national Smit Machchhar, the captain, survived the cockpit attack and managed to divert the plane carrying more than 170 passengers to a regional airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
  • Saudi authorities detained al-Hammami before transferring him to the UAE on Thursday, while New Zealand and Australian officials investigate his past residency and enrollment at RMIT University in Melbourne.
  • Netanyahu ordered a security review of foreign airlines flying to Israel, noting that pilots from countries without diplomatic relations, such as Oman, are generally restricted from operating these flights.
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Hammam Al-Hammami, a native of Oman, has been detained in the Arab Emirates since the attempted attack on a plane to Tel Aviv; he reportedly attempted to commit a similar act earlier this year.

·Vicente López, Argentina
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El PeriódicoEl Periódico
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The Omani attacker of the Flydubai flight confirms to the investigators that his main objective was to crash the plane at Israel’s main airport in Tel Aviv, where the aircraft was headed. He has also confessed that he had this plan since before he started working for the Emirati company. Meanwhile, in Israel there is an exchange of accusations between the security agencies and the Ministry of Transportation, which Shin Bet blames for ignoring hi…

·Barcelona, Spain
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The co-pilot of the flydubai plane allegedly planned the attack before being hired by the airline, according to two Israeli officials familiar with the investigation, quoted by Reuters. They say the pilot sought employment with an airline serving Tel Aviv and then landed the position with flydubai.

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matzav.com broke the news on Monday, October 5, 2026.
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