Flydubai Co-pilot's Plot to Replicate 9/11 Attacks on Israel Revealed
The plan of Flydubai co-pilot Hammam Al-Hammami to crash a plane into Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv or a high-rise building in the Israeli city has been revealed. The co-pilot reportedly intended to replicate the tragedy of 11 September 2001 (9/11).
According to reports, the Omani national is an extremist acting as a ‘lone wolf’. The Attorney General of the United Arab Emirates stated that the co-pilot sought to carry out an ‘act of terrorism’ during flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv last Wednesday.
He attacked and injured the captain using an emergency axe stored in the cockpit, before eventually being subdued by passengers. Other crew members, who were travelling as passengers on the flight, subsequently managed to land the aircraft in Saudi Arabia.
The Israeli Prime Minister stated that the co-pilot had undergone ‘radical Islamist indoctrination’, and noted that the captain, passengers, and second crew member successfully prevented a ‘disaster like 9/11’.
Further details regarding the Flydubai co-pilot emerged over the weekend while he was still undergoing interrogation in the United Arab Emirates. Israeli representatives continue to receive updates regarding the investigation.
Israeli media, citing several sources familiar with the investigation, reported that the co-pilot admitted to investigators that, after attacking Captain Smit Machchhar, he intended to continue flying the aircraft as usual until entering Israeli airspace and receiving landing clearance from Ben Gurion Airport.
According to the reports, he then planned to crash the Boeing 737 MAX, carrying more than 180 passengers, into the airport or a skyscraper in central Tel Aviv, mimicking the al-Qaeda attacks on 11 September 2001 in the United States.
Sources stated that the co-pilot likely acted alone, rather than on behalf of a radical organisation or a foreign government. The co-pilot also reportedly told investigators that he had previously intended to hijack and crash a plane on another flight to Tel Aviv, but abandoned the plan because he knew someone on board.
There has been no direct response yet from the authorities in either the United Arab Emirates or Israel.
UAE Attorney General Hamad al-Shamsi stated on Saturday (3/10) that the investigation would thoroughly uncover the chronology of events, the motive, and the possibility of links to other parties in the incident.
The results of the investigation will be announced once the process is complete.