Flydubai co-pilot planned suicide attack on Tel Aviv airport: UAE prosecutor

The United Arab Emirates' top prosecutor has revealed that the co-pilot who attacked the captain of a Flydubai jet last week had planned to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's international airport. The Omani co-pilot drew inspiration from Al-Qaeda's September 11, 2001 suicide attacks on the United States, aiming to cause the greatest possible loss of life.

The prosecutor's findings, published by state media, also stated that the co-pilot had met the necessary professional and security requirements for employment. During the incident, passengers rushed the cockpit, fought for control from the attacker, and managed to overpower him, forcing an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The Indian captain sustained a wound from the co-pilot's axe attack but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker. The passengers on board the aircraft were predominantly Israeli.

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