Flydubai co-pilot plotted ‘suicide’ attack on Israel, UAE says

Attorney General says suspect admitted he acted alone after preparing ‌‌psychologically ‌‌and physically for the attack.

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates say the co-pilot who tried to seize control of a Flydubai aircraft on September 30 was on a “suicide” mission to crash the plane at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.

Emirati public prosecutors believe the plan “drew inspiration from the 9/11 attack”, Attorney General Hamad ⁠⁠Saif al-Shamsi said in a statement carried by state news agency WAM on Friday, referring to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

WAM reported al-Shamsi’s comments as well as updates on what Emirati investigators had discovered about the alleged plot after launching an inquiry into the incident on October 1.

They found that the ⁠⁠29-year-old suspect had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to “familiarise himself with the flight route and the ⁠⁠airport”, WAM reported.

The attorney general said the suspect had worked for several airlines in ‌‌different countries, including Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, before ‌‌joining ‌‌Flydubai in January.

Investigators examined Flydubai’s recruiting procedures and found the suspect had met all professional and security requirements, including holding a pilot’s licence and providing a certificate of good conduct.

“However, none of the procedures revealed any ⁠⁠indications of his extremist views or his intention to carry out a terrorist plot,” the statement said.

Al-Shamsi’s statement did not appear to implicate Flydubai in any wrongdoing, and contained the most detailed account yet from prosecutors about what they believe to have happened.

UAE officials ‌‌have not identified the suspect, who is accused of attacking his co-pilot, the captain of the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight that was carrying 174 people on board. But people with direct knowledge of the matter have identified him as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, both the Reuters and Associated Press news agencies reported.

Al-Shamsi said the suspect had told investigators he had prepared ‌‌psychologically ‌‌and physically for the attack by viewing material promoting “terrorism” and taking boxing lessons.

The findings indicated that “signs of his drift towards extremism and terrorism first emerged in 2017, while he was studying in Australia”, the statement said.

It added that the suspect “admitted that he had acted alone, without the involvement of others”, and that he “provided a detailed confession outlining his motives and the stages of planning and execution” in the presence of his lawyer.

What happened on the Flydubai flight?

At 7:05am (03:05 GMT) on September 30, Flight FZ1073 departed Dubai for Tel Aviv, climbing to 34,000ft (more than 10,300 metres), according to Flightradar24. A little more than two hours later, it suddenly began a steep descent.

Flight-tracking data showed the plane plunging more than 17,000 feet in about two minutes, before climbing and descending again.

A fight had begun in the cockpit between the two pilots after the co-pilot stabbed the Indian captain of the plane, Smit Machchhar.

Machchhar later described finding himself seriously wounded on the cockpit floor as the aircraft descended.

Passengers and crew members reportedly entered the cabin and overpowered the co-pilot. The aircraft eventually levelled out at about 15,000 feet. Its transponder was subsequently switched to code 7500, signalling unlawful interference.

Two reserve pilots who were on board took control of the jet and landed it in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia. The plane landed safely at 9:45am local time (06:45 GMT).

Saudi authorities said both pilots were taken to hospital and were later transferred to Abu Dhabi after being medically cleared.