FlyDubai co-pilot intended to crash plane into Tel Aviv airport, UAE prosecutor says

JERUSALEM (AP) — The axe-wielding co-pilot of a FlyDubai flight bound for Tel Aviv intended to seize control of the aircraft and crash it into the airport's passenger terminal, according to authorities in the United Arab Emirates. The suspect, an Omani national, aimed to inflict the "greatest possible number of human casualties," the UAE's top prosecutor stated.

Among the 174 passengers aboard the flight were most from Israel. The co-pilot, identified as 29-year-old Hamam al-Hammami, drew inspiration from the 9/11 attacks in the United States and had practiced the flight route and airport using earlier trips from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Authorities revealed that Hammami had no extremist views or attack plans as detected by FlyDubai's security and professional checks.

The co-pilot confessed to the single-handed attack, providing a detailed account of his motives and planning in the presence of his lawyer. This information emerged as the UAE took over the investigation following the incident on September 30, marking the most comprehensive update on the case since then. FlyDubai, a government-owned airline, experienced the crisis in Jordan and Saudi Arabia when Hammami attacked the captain, Smit Machchhar, with a crash axe in the cockpit.

Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, alerting passengers and crew, who detained Hammami and helped stabilize the aircraft. After the plane plummeted between 14,000 and 16,000 feet in under a minute, two reserve pilots guided it to an emergency landing at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.