Attempted attack on a flydubai plane: The co-pilot admitted to planning to crash the plane in Israel

The second pilot, an Omani called Hamam al-Hammami, is currently in the United Arab Emirates, where an investigation is underway with his participation (Israel is involved in the investigation). According to Channel 12, he admitted that he wanted to crash the plane at Ben Gurion Airport. The man had flown to Tel Aviv several times in recent months. During his stay in June, he was supposed to collect information needed to prepare an attack.

Channel 13 reported that the pilot testified that before being hired, he checked which airlines flew to Tel Aviv and that was why he chose flydubai.

The incident sparked a dispute in Israel over responsibility for securing foreign flights. The local media indicate that the Ministry of Transport does not conduct appropriate safety inspections. Planes flown into the country are piloted by people with dual citizenship, e.g. of Iran, Iraq or Syria, i.e. countries considered hostile by Israel. As Reuters writes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Omani pilots cannot fly planes landing in Israel.

CBS reports that the man worked for Oman Air for a short time. He was training there for new pilots. However, the Omani authorities determined that he was visiting radical websites, so the Omani airlines transferred him to an office job. One of the sources reported that after the transfer, the pilot resigned from his job and left the airline around 2024. He was later supposed to go to Dubai. Flydubai hired him without proper verification.

According to sources cited by CBS, it is possible that the man had dual citizenship, which could explain why he was allowed to fly to Israel. The medium determined that he most likely acted alone.

Netanyahu on Sunday ordered the head of the National Security Council to appoint a person to conduct a "thorough review of all aspects" of security for foreign civilian flights to Israel. This would also apply to flights from Poland with LOT and WizzAir as well as charter flights.

Australia also got involved

An Australian anti-terrorist group is checking al-Hammami's links with Australia, writes Reuters. According to sources, the man studied in Melbourne years ago. A local technical university confirmed that he was enrolled in an engineering program but did not complete it.

The would-be attacker was also supposed to be in New Zealand. The deputy commissioner of the local police, quoted by Reuters, said that the services knew that the man was in New Zealand. The duration of his stay is currently under investigation.

Attempted hijacking of the plane, fight on board, passengers rushed to the rescue

On Wednesday, September 30, during flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, the co-pilot attacked the captain with a sharp instrument. According to the United Arab Emirates prosecutor's office, which called the incident a "terrorist attack," he used an emergency hatchet.

The attacker later tried to take over. However, the injured captain managed to open the cockpit door. The co-pilot was incapacitated by passengers and crew members, and control of the plane was taken over by two pilots flying as passengers. The machine, which lost almost 5 km of altitude in 30 seconds, made an emergency landing in Saudi Tabuk. There were over 170 people on board.

I don't think it was a kidnapping. "I think it looks like a suicide attempt," Netanyahu said in an interview with CBS. In turn, the Israeli leader told Fox News that the aggressor had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination, which was revealed during interrogation.

However, the politician did not specify what he meant. He pointed out that during the arrest, while still on board the plane, the co-pilot allegedly asked: "Kill me, kill me."