UAE says Flydubai co-pilot planned 9/11-style crash into Ben Gurion airport

The attorney general of the United Arab Emirates says the co-pilot of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv planned to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion airport in a suicide attack.

Attorney General Hamad Saif al Shamsi issued the statement on Friday, 9 October 2026. The state news agency WAM carried it. According to the statement, prosecutors believe the plan was inspired by the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States.

The incident took place on 30 September 2026. During the flight, the co-pilot, an Omani national, attacked the captain. The aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

According to the statement, investigators found the suspect had used two earlier flights to Tel Aviv to "familiarise himself with the flight route and the airport", as quoted by France 24 and the South China Morning Post (SCMP). The attorney general said the suspect had worked for several airlines, including Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, before joining Flydubai in January 2026. Deutsche Welle (DW) and SCMP reported that the statement did not appear to implicate Flydubai in any wrongdoing.

All the reports reviewed by Vocemundi trace this account to the one official statement. The reports do not describe the evidence behind the prosecutors' conclusions.

Other reported details

According to DW, the co-pilot attacked the captain, who is Indian, with an axe and injured him. DW reported that the captain opened the cockpit door. This allowed passengers and crew to overpower the attacker. DW also reported that most passengers were Israeli and that they have been hailed as heroes in Israel. According to France 24, the aircraft was flight 1073 and was carrying 182 people. The Wall Street Journal named the suspect as Hamam al-Hammami. The other reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include his name. According to SCMP, prosecutors opened a criminal investigation on 1 October.

What is disputed

Accounts of the descent differ. France 24 reported that the jet plunged 16,000 feet in 30 seconds. DW, citing passenger accounts, reported a sudden descent of around 5,000 metres (17,000 feet).

What each side says

UAE prosecutors say the co-pilot planned to seize the flight and crash it into a terminal at Ben Gurion airport, according to France 24, SCMP and Reuters. According to DW, prosecutors said the plan aimed at "causing the greatest possible loss of life". They say his fellow pilot stopped him. According to DW, the attorney general said the suspect had passed employment checks, including background checks. "None of the procedures revealed any indications of his extremist views or his intention to carry out a terrorist plot," the statement said, as quoted by DW.

SCMP said Flydubai was not immediately available for comment. The reports do not include responses from Oman Air, Royal Air Maroc or the government of Oman. They also do not include any account from the suspect or a lawyer, and they do not describe his current status or the captain's condition.

Analysis

The prosecutors' account rests on a single official statement. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not show the evidence behind it, so independent confirmation may depend on future court proceedings or further disclosures. The statement says pre-employment checks found no warning signs. That could renew debate among airlines and regulators about pilot screening and cockpit access rules, although the reports do not describe any such review. Other questions remain open. These include the roles of Saudi and Israeli authorities, who landed the aircraft and why descent figures differ. Answers to these could clarify or change parts of the current account.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.