Alleged Flydubai hijacker planned ‘suicide attack’ on Tel Aviv’s airport, early investigation finds
The suspect confessed to acting alone and investigators said he used two earlier flights to scout the route and airport before the attack.
- On Friday, the United Arab Emirates Attorney General confirmed that an Omani Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash his aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport, targeting the passenger terminal to cause "the greatest possible number of casualties."
- Hamam al-Hammami drew inspiration from the September 11, 2001, attacks, leading him to pursue an aviation career; investigators found his Islamist radicalization began while studying in Australia in 2017.
- The suspect used two previous flights to familiarize himself with the route before attacking the captain with an axe during his third trip to Israel, according to investigators.
- Captain Smit Machchhar and passengers subdued al-Hammami after he assaulted the captain inside the cockpit, allowing the crew to divert the aircraft and land safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
- Despite al-Hammami's confession that he acted alone, UAE authorities are continuing to investigate potential accomplices, with the attorney general emphasizing the probe remains active regarding the suspect's broader connections.
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The copilot from Oman of the flyduba flight to Tel Aviv who attacked the pilot and caused an emergency landing, at the end of September, in Saudi Arabia, plans a suicide attack on Ben Gurion Airport, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) prosecutor announced Friday, reports AFP.
The first pilot of the Flydubai flight, who had attacked the pilot of the aircraft on 30 September, was planning a suicide attack in Tel Aviv, announced this Friday the UAE prosecutor. The investigation also revealed that the man had drawn inspiration from the attacks of 11 September 2001. Emirati justice stated that the attacker had claimed to have "acted alone". - Flydubai Flight: the first pilot was inspired by 11 September and was planning a…
Co-Pilot's Target Was Tel Aviv Airport: Prosecutor
The axe-wielding co-pilot who attacked the captain of a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv last month intended to sixteen control of the airplane and fly it into the passenger terminal at Israel's main international airport, authorities in the United Arab Emirates said Friday. The UAE's top prosecutor said the suspect,...
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