DUBAI — A co-pilot from Oman working for flydubai intended to hijack a flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026, and deliberately crash it into a terminal at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, the UAE’s attorney general announced Friday.

The state news agency WAM reported that the plot was meant to be a suicide attack, but a fellow pilot stopped it before it could happen.

An inquiry opened by UAE prosecutors on October 1 determined that the scheme drew its idea from the deadly September 11, 2001, assault carried out against the United States.

The co-pilot, an Omani national identified by two sources as Hamam al-Hammami, attacked the captain with an emergency crash axe while the aircraft was airborne.

Investigators discovered the suspect had taken two earlier trips to Tel Aviv to study the flight path and the airport layout.

During the incident, the aircraft dropped 16,000 feet within just 30 seconds.

Officials said the man had previously worked at several airlines, including Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, before joining flydubai in January 2026.

Earlier, the UAE prosecutor general described the incident as a terrorist attack.

The co-pilot, an Omani national identified by two sources as Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly attacked the captain with an emergency crash axe while the aircraft was airborne.

On October 5, the Flydubai co-pilot told UAE investigators that he had planned the attack before joining the airline.

Further Reading on This Topic

• Flydubai passengers prepare lawsuit over attack on Tel Aviv flight - October 13, 2026
• Omani flydubai co-pilot planned suicide attack on Tel Aviv flight, UAE says - October 9, 2026
• Airlines admit no foolproof guard against dangerous pilots after flydubai attack - October 8, 2026
• Saudi Arabia launches investigation into flydubai air safety incident: sources - October 7, 2026
• Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash Tel Aviv flight before joining airline: Israeli officials - October 5, 2026
• Australia investigates flydubai co-pilot’s links to the country: police - October 4, 2026
• Flydubai’s Tel Aviv flight was a planned terrorist act, says UAE attorney general - October 3, 2026
• Israel to question flydubai’s co-pilot: source - October 2, 2026
• Flydubai co-pilot underwent Islamist radical indoctrination, Netanyahu says - October 1, 2026
• Indian pilot Smit Machchhar hailed as hero after flydubai drama - October 1, 2026
• Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv issues alert, diverted to Saudi Arabia - September 30, 2026

(With files from Reuters, Agencies)

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