Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash plane into Tel Aviv airport, UAE says

DUBAI: A Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash a passenger aircraft into Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport in a premeditated suicide attack, according to the United Arab Emirates’ public prosecution, which says the suspect was inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

UAE Attorney General Hamad Al Shamsi said on Friday that an investigation into the September 30 incident involving flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, had found that the 29-year-old Omani co-pilot allegedly intended to cause mass casualties at the Israeli airport.

According to the findings announced by the prosecutor, the suspect confessed to planning an attack similar to the September 11 hijackings and had pursued a career in aviation with that objective in mind. Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident and whether anyone else was involved.

The National, reporting on the UAE investigation, said the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with an emergency axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft. The plane was diverted to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely after passengers and crew intervened.

Suspect allegedly radicalised in Australia

Al Shamsi said investigators traced the suspect’s radicalisation to 2017, when he was studying in Melbourne, Australia. During that period, he was allegedly exposed to extremist literature and online material glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks.

The prosecutor also said the suspect had attended a mosque affiliated with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, where he allegedly came into contact with people linked to a centre managed by a Lebanese man known as “Abu Hamza”, who was said to have connections to the Muslim Brotherhood.

These details form part of the prosecution’s account of the suspect’s alleged radicalisation and are being examined as the investigation continues.

According to the UAE authorities, the suspect worked for Oman Air from 2020 to 2024, briefly joined Royal Air Maroc in 2025 and began working for Flydubai in January 2026.

Investigators also found that he had operated two earlier flights to Tel Aviv and allegedly used those trips to reconnoitre the route and airport before the attempted attack.

Reuters reported alleged plot predated Flydubai employment

The latest announcement follows a Reuters report published on October 5, which said the co-pilot had told UAE interrogators that he planned the attack before joining Flydubai.

Citing two Israeli officials familiar with the investigation and a third source briefed on the UAE probe, Reuters reported that the suspect had selected an airline operating flights to Tel Aviv as part of his plan to crash an aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport.

The sources also told Reuters that he had previously considered hijacking and crashing an earlier flight to Tel Aviv but abandoned the plan. One source suggested he may have known someone on board, although Reuters said it was unclear why he changed his mind.

The sources spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to discuss the investigation publicly. At the time of Reuters’ report, UAE and Israeli authorities and Flydubai had not immediately responded to requests for comment.

Captain and passengers helped avert disaster

On September 30, the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain inside the cockpit with an emergency crash axe, triggering a struggle that threatened the safety of the aircraft and its passengers.

The injured captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, managed to open the cockpit door, allowing people on board to intervene. A pilot travelling as a passenger on the return flight also helped gain access to the cockpit, while crew members and passengers restrained the suspect.

The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely. The passengers subsequently continued their journey to Israel on a replacement aircraft.

The National has reported that Machchhar’s actions helped avert a catastrophe and that he was seriously injured during the attack.

The UAE prosecution is reviewing recordings, technical reports and other evidence to establish the full circumstances of the incident and determine whether the suspect acted alone or had links to possible accomplices.

The suspect remains in UAE custody. Reuters previously reported that UAE authorities had not publicly disclosed his identity or announced formal charges at the time of its October 5 report. The latest prosecutorial findings have not, by themselves, established whether any other individuals were involved.