UAE says Flydubai co pilot planned terrorist attack on Israeli airport

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have announced that a Flydubai co-pilot attempted a terrorist attack targeting Israel's primary airport, according to reports by the Washington Post, Sky News, The Independent, KTUL, and Al Jazeera. Prosecutors alleged that the First Officer planned to crash the passenger aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. [1][2][3][6][7]

Paddley Too reported that the UAE Attorney General identified the co-pilot as Omani First Officer Hamam al-Hammami. According to Paddley Too, al-Hammami was radicalized while residing in Australia and pursued a career in aviation specifically to carry out the attack. CNN reported that early investigation findings showed the suspect cited the September 11 attacks as his motivation to become a pilot. [4][5]

During Flydubai flight FZ-1073, al-Hammami attacked the aircraft captain with a crash axe in an effort to take control of the airliner, according to Paddley Too. Flydubai Flight 1073 was a regularly scheduled international passenger service from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport operated with a Boeing 737 MAX 8. [4][8]

As FTMQ Travel reported earlier, First Officer al-Hammami had previously been grounded in Oman over extremist concerns before joining Flydubai, an Emirati state-owned carrier operating to 131 global destinations. During the incident, the injured captain unlocked the cockpit door, allowing passengers and off-duty pilots to intervene and subdue the attacker. The aircraft subsequently diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. [10][11]