flydubai probe: Co-pilot worked for 3 airlines before alleged attack plot

The 29-year-old Omani co-pilot under investigation over the September 30, 2026, incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 had worked for Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc before joining flydubai in January 2026, UAE Attorney-General Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said.

The Public Prosecution’s investigation into the flight, scheduled to travel from Dubai to Tel Aviv, has examined the suspect’s professional history, alleged extremist influences, preparations and recruitment checks.

Authorities allege that the co-pilot had begun carrying out a premeditated terrorist plot to seize control of the aircraft and use it to launch a suicide attack targeting the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

Al Shamsi said the suspect met the professional and security requirements for employment, including holding a pilot’s licence, providing a certificate of good conduct and completing the required checks.

However, those procedures did not reveal indications of his alleged extremist views or intention to carry out a terrorist plot, the Attorney-General said.

According to the investigation, signs of the suspect’s reported shift towards extremism first emerged in 2017, when he was studying in Australia.

Authorities said he had been influenced by extremist literature and online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks. These influences allegedly developed into ideas advocating violence and terrorism.

According to his confession, the suspect drew inspiration from the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Investigators said the idea of carrying out a similar operation using an aircraft became established in his thinking.

The Attorney-General said the suspect linked these ideas to his decision to pursue a career in aviation.

The suspect reportedly told investigators that, while studying in Melbourne, he regularly attended a mosque affiliated with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).

He said he became acquainted with people associated with a centre known as “My Centre”. According to his account, the centre was managed by a Lebanese man known as “Abu Hamza” and allegedly received support from an association linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.

These details were included in the account outlined by the Attorney-General. The investigation into the suspect’s alleged ideological influences and possible connections remains ongoing.

According to the Attorney-General, the suspect said he had prepared psychologically and physically for the alleged attack by increasing his exposure to material promoting terrorism and training in boxing under a private coach.

Investigators also found that he had taken two earlier flights to Tel Aviv to familiarise himself with the route and airport. Authorities said he began carrying out the alleged plot during his third flight to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026.

The suspect allegedly attacked the captain with an emergency axe inside the cockpit. A pilot on board for the return flight noticed unusual movements at the cockpit door and intervened with a cabin crew member and passengers, who restrained the suspect and helped the injured captain.

A forensic medical report found recent head injuries consistent with an assault involving an implement matching the characteristics of an emergency axe. The findings were consistent with statements from the captain and suspect, as well as witness testimony, the Attorney-General said.

The Attorney-General said the suspect provided a detailed confession in the presence of his lawyer, with the legally prescribed safeguards observed.

According to the statement, the suspect outlined his alleged motives and the stages of planning and execution, and claimed he had acted alone.

The Public Prosecution has also heard statements from the aircraft’s captain, the return-flight pilot, his co-pilot and members of the crew.

The Public Prosecution continues to examine the evidence, review recordings and technical reports, and investigate possible accomplices or other connections.