Near-disaster: UAE: Flydubai co-pilot wanted to hit Tel Aviv airport

Abu Dhabi. According to investigators in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the co-pilot of the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv wanted to cause the plane to crash into Israel's Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. The Oman-born co-pilot planned to take control of the plane and use it to carry out a suicide attack on the passenger terminal at Ben-Gurion Airport, UAE Attorney General Hamad al-Shamsi said, the Emirati state news agency WAM reported.

As part of his preparation for the crime, the 29-year-old suspect used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to familiarize himself with the flight route and the airport. He said in the investigation that he acted alone.

The flight was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30th when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the pilot. According to Emirati information, he attacked him with a rescue axe. Despite serious injuries, the pilot was able to open the cockpit door, whereupon passengers entered and overpowered the attacker. A second crew landed the plane, which sank heavily during the attack, in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

According to al-Shamsi, there were first signs in 2017 that the man was turning to extremism and terrorism while studying in Australia. Accordingly, he was inspired by the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the USA. “The idea of ​​carrying out a similar action with an airplane became firmly anchored in his mind.” The suspect, who started a job at Flydubai in January this year, previously worked for several airlines in different countries, according to Emirati investigators.