UAE prosecutor: Dubai Airlines co-pilot attempted suicide attack to cause as many casualties as possible

China News Service, October 10 (Xinhua) According to comprehensive foreign media reports, the UAE Federal Attorney General Shamsi introduced the investigation into the Dubai Airlines flight FZ1073 incident on the 9th. Shamsi said that the investigation into the incident of flydubai flight FZ1073 showed that the co-pilot involved attempted to fly the plane into the terminal of Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, to carry out a suicide terrorist attack and cause as many casualties as possible.

Shamsi said the co-pilot involved was a 29-year-old Omani man. He made an attack plan in advance and used his two previous flights to Tel Aviv to familiarize himself with the flight route and airport conditions. He then attempted to carry out an attack during his third mission on the route on September 30.

According to the investigation, the suspect carried out all-round preparations to implement his plan. At the ideological level, watch relevant materials that incite terrorism; at the physical level, perform boxing training under the guidance of a personal trainer.

The investigation showed that the suspect began to accept extremist ideas while studying in Australia in 2017. At that time, he was influenced by extremist ideas by reading extremist books and paying attention to online content that glorified terrorist organizations and suicide attacks.

Affected by the "9·11" terrorist attacks in the United States, the suspects came up with the idea of ​​using airplanes to carry out similar attacks. According to his confession, this idea was later related to his choice to work in the aviation industry.

According to Shamsi, the suspect worked for Oman Air from 2020 to 2024, joined Royal Air Maroc in early 2025, and transferred to Dubai Air in January 2026. The investigation found that he met all professional and security clearance requirements when he was hired and found no evidence of extremist tendencies or attack plans.

On the day of the incident, the suspect used an emergency ax to attack the captain on the head in the cockpit. The captain fought back and tried to call for help. A captain on board the plane who was about to fly a return flight noticed that the cockpit door opened and closed abnormally and entered the cockpit. With the help of a flight attendant and several passengers, he subdued the suspect. Subsequently, the captain of the return flight and his co-pilot regained control of the aircraft, diverted it and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

Shamsi said the suspect gave a detailed confession in the presence of his lawyer, admitting to carrying out the attack alone, but prosecutors were still investigating whether there were accomplices or other connections.

The UAE prosecutors said they will continue to review relevant evidence, records and technical reports and announce the results based on the progress of the investigation.