Omani co-pilot admits: "I did it to avenge Gaza, I wanted to die as a martyr"

I did it to avenge Gaza, I wanted to die as a martyr. It is with these words that Hammam Al-Hammami, the Omani co-pilot who attempted to hijack the Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight on September 30, admitted his plan. The man, as Channel 12 reports, explained the details during the interrogation with investigators from the United Arab Emirates. In recent days, some details had already filtered out about Al-Hammami's objective: he wanted to crash the flight into Ben Gurion airport, in Israel, after receiving landing permits. Furthermore, the investigations revealed that he had already landed at that airport several times - the last in June and July - and that he had been planning the attack for months. In Israel, meanwhile, they are trying to understand whether he acted alone or whether someone else was behind the incident (THE LATEST NEWS ON THE CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST).

Investigations continue

The investigators conducting the investigation are in possession of the contents of the co-pilot's phone and are examining and analyzing its contents in an attempt to gather further information. Meanwhile, yesterday, it was leaked from the Mossad that it was discovered that "in recent years the terrorist has visited countries hostile to Israel, some of which are considered enemy countries. These were short visits. We are verifying whether during these visits someone or some organization manipulated, recruited or involved him". The Emirati authorities, meanwhile, also questioned - at Israel's request - the crew of flight attendants present on the Flydubai flight, ruling out the possibility that they were accomplices or attempted to help the co-pilot.

In-depth analysis

FlyDubai flight, investigations: "Attack planned for some time"

The hijacking attempt

On the morning of September 30, Flydubai flight FZ1073 was supposed to carry 174 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Not long after takeoff, however, the co-pilot implemented a plan to hijack the plane. He attacked - using the (emergency) ax in the cockpit - the pilot, Smit Machchhar, seriously injuring him. But Machchhar still managed to open the cabin door and somehow raise the alarm. At that point the crew and some passengers intervened and immobilized and stopped the attacker, but not before he attempted to crash the plane, causing it to dive and cause him to lose around 4,900 metres. And trying to destroy the on-board instruments. At that point, the plane was somehow stabilized by a passenger, Yaniv Hayoun, who said he had pulled the control stick towards himself so as not to cause the aircraft to lose further altitude. But there were also pilots on the flight, not on duty: they were the ones who intervened later to put the plane in a definitive safety position. From there, the alarm, communications with air traffic control and the decision to land in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

In-depth analysis

Flydubai, the co-pilot's plan: "He wanted to hit Tel Aviv"