UAE Investigators: Flydubai Co-Pilot Planned 9/11-Style Suicide Attack on Israeli Airport

Flydubai Co-Pilot Planned Israeli Airport Suicide Crash Similar to 9/11 to Kill Thousands — Investigators
Was Influenced by Reading Extremist Literature, Online Content Glorifying Terrorist Organisations and Suicide Attacks Prepared Himself for the Operation by Training in Aviation

The co-pilot who attempted to seize control of a passenger jet flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv last week was planning to launch a suicide attack targeting the passenger terminal at Israel’s international airport, prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said on Friday.

The airport handles about 53,000 passengers daily.

Hammam al-Hammami attacked the plane’s Indian pilot with an emergency axe but failed to prevent his badly injured colleague from opening the cockpit’s security door, allowing passengers to overpower their assailant.

Passengers subsequently tried to control the aircraft, which was safely landed in Saudi Arabia by an off-duty relief pilot who was among the approximately 180 passengers on board.

The passengers were overwhelmingly Israeli, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praising them and the pilot for their bravery following the foiled attack.

Had al-Hammami succeeded in crashing the aircraft as planned, everyone on board, including himself, and thousands of people on the ground at the airport could have been killed.

The Attorney-General of the UAE, Dr Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, said on Friday that al-Hammami, who is currently in Emirati custody, had admitted attempting to execute a “premeditated terrorist plot to … launch a suicide attack targeting the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, with the aim of causing the greatest possible loss of life”.

How He Got Radicalised

The 29-year-old, who was employed by flydubai, a government-owned low-cost airline, began a process of radicalisation while studying in Australia. According to al-Shamsi, he was influenced by the hardline takfiri ideology through extremist literature and online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks.

“[Al-Hammami] subsequently developed … ideas advocating violence and terrorism. He also drew inspiration from the 11 September 2001 attacks, and the idea of carrying out a similar operation using an aircraft became firmly established in his thinking. According to his confession, this was linked to his decision to pursue a career in aviation.”

Investigations into Him
Over the weekend, Australian security agencies launched an investigation after it emerged that al-Hammami had spent about two years in the country as a student until 2017. He left Australia without completing his Engineering degree.

New Zealand authorities have also launched an investigation after police confirmed that al-Hammami underwent flight training there about a year after abandoning his degree in Australia.
There has been widespread concern over how al-Hammami was able to pass the required vetting and join a crew operating flights to Israel.

An Omani national, he obtained a distance-learning degree in aviation management from Buckinghamshire New University in 2023. He worked for Oman Air from 2020 to 2024, joined Royal Air Maroc in early 2025 and worked there for several months before moving to flydubai in January 2026.

Was He Acting Alone or With Others?
Security officials have been keen to establish whether al-Hammami acted alone or became involved with a group such as al-Qaida or Islamic State, which could indicate that further attacks might be planned. Emirati authorities believe this was not the case.

“In the presence of his lawyer and with all legally prescribed safeguards ensured, the suspect provided a detailed confession outlining his motives and the stages of planning and execution.

He admitted that he had acted alone, without the involvement of others, although investigations are continuing to verify this claim,” al-Shamsi said.

How He Prepared for the Strike
Investigators have found that al-Hammami used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to “familiarise himself with the flight route and the airport”, the Emirati state news agency, WAM, reported.