A FlyDubai co-pilot who assaulted his captain during a flight to Tel Aviv last month allegedly intended to seize control of the aircraft to crash it into the passenger terminal of Israel’s primary international airport. According to a statement issued by the UAE’s top prosecutor on Friday, the suspect aimed to inflict the maximum number of human casualties possible. The incident, which occurred on September 30, involved a flight carrying 174 passengers, the majority of whom were Israeli citizens.
Authorities identified the suspect as 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami. The investigation suggests that the co-pilot drew inspiration from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. Officials stated that the suspect had allegedly used two prior flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv to familiarize himself with the flight path and airport infrastructure. Despite these actions, the prosecutor noted that none of the airline’s professional or security screenings had identified any extremist affiliations or potential intent to commit violence prior to the event.
The crisis occurred while the plane was flying over Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The suspect reportedly assaulted the captain, Smit Machchhar, with a crash axe. Despite sustaining injuries, Captain Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, alerting the crew and passengers to the immediate danger. During the struggle, the aircraft dropped between 14,000 and 16,000 feet in under a minute. Passengers on board intervened to restrain the suspect, and two reserve pilots eventually guided the aircraft to an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
In his confession, provided in the presence of his legal counsel, al-Hammami claimed to have acted alone. The prosecutor’s statement indicated that the suspect may have been radicalized at a mosque in Australia during his time as a student at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 2017. The UAE government, which owns FlyDubai, is currently leading the investigation into the incident.
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