Prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates say the co-pilot who attacked the captain of a Flydubai jet on September 30 was carrying out a premeditated suicide mission aimed at Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv. Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said on Friday that the suspect, a 29-year-old Omani national, admitted he intended to cause the greatest possible loss of life. Officials have not formally named him, but reports by Reuters, the Associated Press and others identify him as Hamam al-Hammami.
According to the prosecutors' statement, carried by the state news agency WAM, the plan drew inspiration from the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, and the idea of using an aircraft in a similar way was linked to his decision to pursue an aviation career. He told investigators, in the presence of his lawyer, that he had acted alone, though inquiries continue to verify this. He had used two earlier flights to Tel Aviv to familiarise himself with the route and the airport, and said he prepared by consuming extremist material and taking boxing lessons. Prosecutors say signs of his drift towards extremism emerged in 2017, when he was studying in Australia.
Flight FZ1073 left Dubai on the morning of September 30 with roughly 175 to 180 people aboard, most of them Israeli. About two hours later it plunged thousands of feet. The co-pilot had attacked the Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, with an emergency axe. Although badly wounded, the captain was able to open the cockpit door. A relief pilot who had noticed the door being opened and closed unusually, a cabin crew member and several passengers overpowered the suspect. The relief pilots landed the plane safely at Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has reportedly opened a separate safety investigation.
The case has raised questions about vetting. The prosecutors said Flydubai's checks, including a pilot's licence and a certificate of good conduct, revealed no sign of extremism, and the statement did not blame the airline. However, media reports cited by NZZ suggest warning signs existed earlier. The Wall Street Journal reported that Oman Air removed him from flying duties in 2024 after discovering his extremist online activity, and that Omani authorities put him through a deradicalisation programme. The airline reportedly did not contact Omani employers when hiring him, and it is unclear whether Oman's concerns were passed on.
In Israel, the incident has become a political issue. Under an aviation agreement with the UAE, pilots landing in Israel should hold passports from countries that have diplomatic relations with it; Oman does not. Transport Minister Miri Regev called for Flydubai flights to Israel to be suspended and the agreement reviewed, while opposition figures have demanded her dismissal, which she rejects. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a comprehensive review of security for foreign airlines flying to Israel. The affair tests the close ties between Israel and the UAE, established by the 2020 US-brokered Abraham Accords.