Unnamed sources say flydubai co-pilot planned Ben Gurion crash; UAE investigation continues

The co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv attacked the captain with the cockpit's emergency crash axe last Wednesday and tried to take control of the aircraft, according to the BBC, NPR and Fox News. The captain was injured. People on board subdued the co-pilot, and the plane landed in Saudi Arabia. Another pilot or crew travelling on the flight landed it or helped to land it.

UAE Attorney-General Hamad al-Shamsi has said the co-pilot attempted to carry out a "terrorist act", as quoted by BBC News. Israeli authorities have also described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack.

The UAE investigation is ongoing. The attorney-general said it would establish the full circumstances, motives and any links, and that results would be announced when it concludes. The co-pilot is being questioned in the UAE, with Israeli officials assisting or being updated.

What is reported

Several outlets, citing unnamed sources, report that the co-pilot intended to crash the plane at Ben Gurion airport. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include official confirmation of this.

A person familiar with the matter, who was not authorised to speak publicly, told NPR the investigation found the co-pilot intended to crash the plane into the airport and likely acted alone. According to Fox News, Reuters reported a similar account from a source briefed on the UAE investigation.

Also according to Fox News, two Israeli officials told Reuters the co-pilot said during questioning that he had planned the attack before flydubai hired him. That claim rests on a single origin.

Multiple reports name the co-pilot as Hamam al-Hammami and describe him as an Omani national. The reports do not include official confirmation of his name. NPR says Omani and Emirati officials have not publicly confirmed his nationality.

According to the BBC, regional officials said Oman Air barred him from flying over concerns about his extremist views. The reports do not include comment from Oman Air or flydubai, or any statement from the co-pilot or a representative.

What is disputed

• The alleged target. Accounts variously cite Ben Gurion airport, its terminal, a building or another plane there, or a tower block in central Tel Aviv.
• Numbers on board. The BBC reports more than 180 passengers. NPR cites the airline as saying 172 people.
• Vetting responsibility. Israel's transport ministry and security services each say the other was responsible.

What each side says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot underwent "Islamist radical indoctrination" and that those on board prevented "a 9/11 disaster", as quoted by BBC News. He has ordered a review of the security of foreign civil aviation to Israel.

The Shin Bet said the transport ministry was responsible for vetting lists from foreign airlines, according to the BBC. Transport Minister Miri Regev said her ministry was not given the lists and that oversight falls to the Shin Bet and the Mossad.

Regional officials told the Associated Press that Emirati authorities shared the passenger and crew list with Israel before departure, the BBC reports.

Unnamed political opponents of Netanyahu call the breach a failure on his part, according to NPR.

Analysis

The central claim, an intent to crash the aircraft, rests on anonymous sources that may overlap, and it is not an official finding. The UAE investigation could confirm, narrow or contradict those accounts. If the reported employment history is borne out, scrutiny could turn to airline hiring checks and to how crew lists are shared and vetted across borders. If it is not, attention may shift elsewhere. In Israel, the unresolved question of which body was responsible for vetting may shape the announced review. NPR notes that national elections are weeks away, which could add to political pressure, though the outcome of either process remains open.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.