Israeli media: Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash jet into Ben Gurion airport
Version 3: Israeli media reports now say the co-pilot told investigators he planned to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion airport and had planned the attack before joining the airline, with an earlier July attempt postponed; a US network reported an initial Israeli assessment that he was likely a lone attacker, and Australia is investigating whether he was radicalised while studying there.
In short
UAE authorities say the co-pilot of a Flydubai flight bound for Israel attacked the captain with an emergency axe on Sept. 30 and tried to carry out a terrorist act, and that the aircraft made an emergency landing. Israeli media reported on Oct. 4 that the co-pilot told investigators in the UAE he planned to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv, and that an attempt planned for July was postponed because a crew member close to him was on the same flight. Reuters reported he said he planned the attack before joining the airline and chose Flydubai after researching carriers flying to Tel Aviv, while a US network reported an initial Israeli assessment that he was likely a lone attacker.
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The United Arab Emirates' attorney general said on Oct. 3 that the co-pilot of a flight bound for Israel attacked the captain with an emergency axe and tried to carry out a terrorist act, Nippon TV News reported. NHK, citing the UAE state news agency, also reported that the co-pilot tried to carry out a terrorist act, describing the weapon as a blade. Nippon TV said the co-pilot struck the captain inside the cockpit and tried to seize the controls. Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances and the motive, the reports said. [ 1 , 2 ]
The flight was a Flydubai service from Dubai to Tel Aviv that took off on Sept. 30 and made an emergency landing, according to TBS NEWS DIG and Livedoor News; Sankei Shimbun reported the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia, a detail the other documents do not give. The captain said the co-pilot told him he wanted to pray and that four to five minutes later he felt a strong impact on the back of his head, Livedoor News reported. He first thought the aircraft had suffered a serious malfunction, then realised after being struck repeatedly that he was being attacked, it said, while NHK reported he was attacked from behind. Seriously injured, the captain spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Oct. 3, and the prime minister's office released the call, TBS NEWS DIG and Livedoor News reported. Tokyo Shimbun published a photograph caption saying Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan visited the captain, named Smit, in Dubai on Oct. 2. [ 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 , 12 ]
Israeli media reported on Oct. 4 that the co-pilot had told investigators in the UAE he planned to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv. Sankei Shimbun, citing Israel's Channel 12, reported that after killing the captain he intended to fly the aircraft into a building at the airport or into another aircraft, and to seize it after leaving Dubai once over Jordan. Yomiuri Shimbun, citing Israel's public broadcaster Kan and others, reported the same intention. Jiji Press and Mainichi Shimbun also carried accounts of a collision plan, with Mainichi reporting that a plan to fly into a Tel Aviv high-rise had also been reported. [ 10 , 11 , 14 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]
Sankei Shimbun and Jiji Press reported that the co-pilot said he planned the attack for July but postponed it because a crew member close to him was on the same flight, moving it to September, and that he visited Israel on duty several times and gathered information at Ben Gurion airport in June. Asahi Shimbun, citing Israeli media including Ynet, reported that if he could not approach the airport he planned to crash into a US military base in Jordan. [ 10 , 11 , 17 ]
Reuters reported on Oct. 5 that the co-pilot told investigators he had planned the attack before joining the airline and had researched which carriers flew to Tel Aviv before choosing Flydubai, according to TBS NEWS DIG; Yomiuri Shimbun cited Israeli officials saying he moved to Flydubai because it flew the Tel Aviv route. Yomiuri and Sankei reported he had previously worked for Oman Air and had been removed from duties after coming under Islamist extremist influence. Nippon TV News, citing The Wall Street Journal, reported that Omani authorities had barred him from flying over concerns he held extremist views and that he was later hired by an airline in the neighbouring UAE; it said it is not known whether Oman shared that information with the airline. [ 1 , 16 , 20 , 22 ]
Mainichi Shimbun reported that US network CBS said on Oct. 4 that an initial Israeli investigation indicated the co-pilot was likely a lone attacker, and that Israel had sent a delegation to the UAE to take part in the investigation. Asahi Shimbun, citing Australia's public broadcaster ABC, reported that the co-pilot studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017 and that Australian authorities are investigating whether he was radicalised during that time. TBS NEWS DIG's Sunday Morning programme described a near-crash and said a passenger with no piloting experience helped save the aircraft, adding that US President Donald Trump hinted at Iranian involvement; Toyo Keizai described the episode as an attempted 9/11-style hijacking that passengers and the captain stopped. [ 5 , 14 , 17 , 21 ]
Why it matters
The case turns attention on how a pilot reportedly removed from duties in one country and barred from flying there was later hired by an airline in another, a question the documents leave open, and on security for Israel-bound flights. Israeli media reports relayed by several outlets describe a plan to hit Ben Gurion airport, which if confirmed would make the episode a significant aviation-security case. UAE authorities have announced no motive, and the documents give no confirmed link to any state.
Key facts
- The UAE attorney general said on Oct. 3 that the co-pilot of a flight bound for Israel tried to carry out a terrorist act, attacking the captain and trying to seize the controls; Nippon TV News said the weapon was an emergency axe and NHK, citing the UAE state news agency, described it as a blade. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The flight was a Flydubai service from Dubai to Tel Aviv that took off on Sept. 30 and made an emergency landing; Sankei Shimbun reported it landed in Saudi Arabia, a detail the other documents do not give. [ 3 , 7 , 10 , 20 ]
- The captain said the co-pilot told him he wanted to pray and that four to five minutes later he was struck from behind, according to Livedoor News, TBS NEWS DIG and NHK; he first thought the aircraft had malfunctioned. [ 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- Israeli media reported on Oct. 4 that the co-pilot told investigators in the UAE he had planned to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, into a building there or into another aircraft. [ 10 , 11 , 14 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]
- Sankei Shimbun and Jiji Press reported the co-pilot said he had planned the attack for July but postponed it because a crew member close to him was on the same flight, and that he gathered information at the airport in June; Asahi Shimbun, citing Ynet, reported a fallback plan to crash into a US military base in Jordan. [ 10 , 11 , 17 ]
- Reuters reported on Oct. 5 that the co-pilot said he had planned the attack before joining the airline and researched which carriers flew to Tel Aviv before choosing Flydubai, according to TBS NEWS DIG. [ 20 , 22 ]
- The co-pilot is an Omani national; Nippon TV News, citing The Wall Street Journal, reported Omani authorities had barred him from flying over concerns about extremist views and that he was later hired by a UAE airline, while Yomiuri Shimbun reported he had been removed from duties at Oman Air. [ 1 , 16 ]
- Mainichi Shimbun reported that US network CBS said on Oct. 4 that an initial Israeli investigation indicated the co-pilot was likely a lone attacker, and that Israel had sent a delegation to the UAE to take part in the investigation. [ 14 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The UAE attorney general said the co-pilot of a flight bound for Israel tried to carry out a terrorist act, attacking the captain; the aircraft made an emergency landing and authorities are investigating. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The captain said he was attacked several minutes after the co-pilot said he wanted to pray, and that he was struck from behind. [ 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- The flight was a Flydubai service from Dubai to Tel Aviv that took off on Sept. 30 and made an emergency landing. [ 3 , 7 , 10 , 20 ]
- Israeli media reported that the co-pilot told investigators in the UAE he planned to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion International Airport. [ 10 , 11 , 14 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]
Still unclear
- Where the aircraft made its emergency landing. Sankei Shimbun says Saudi Arabia, citing Israeli media, while the other documents describe only an emergency landing on a flight bound for Israel or travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
- What weapon was used in the cockpit. Nippon TV News says an emergency axe and NHK says a blade, with no explanation in the documents for the difference.
- Whether Omani authorities shared the flight ban with the UAE airline that later hired the co-pilot. Single-source reporting attributed to The Wall Street Journal, which says this is not known.
- The co-pilot's motive and whether any state was involved. UAE authorities say the investigation continues; TBS NEWS DIG reported that US President Donald Trump hinted at Iranian involvement, without evidence in the documents.
- Whether the co-pilot acted alone. Reported by Mainichi Shimbun as a US network's account of an initial Israeli assessment, described as a possibility rather than a conclusion.
- Whether a passenger without piloting experience helped save the aircraft. Reported in a TBS NEWS DIG programme summary and echoed by Toyo Keizai; the other documents do not mention it.
- Whether the co-pilot was radicalised while studying in Australia between 2015 and 2017. Reported only by Asahi Shimbun, citing Australia's public broadcaster ABC, and described there as a possibility under investigation.
- The plan to crash into a US military base in Jordan if the airport could not be approached. Reported only by Asahi Shimbun, citing Israeli media including Ynet.
- Reuters reported that the co-pilot said he had planned the attack before joining the airline. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The attack occurs aboard the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv and the aircraft makes an emergency landing, which Sankei Shimbun reported was in Saudi Arabia; the time of day is not given. [ 3 , 7 , 10 , 20 ]
- Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan visits the captain, named Smit, in Dubai, according to a Tokyo Shimbun photograph caption attributed to the UAE and AP. [ 12 ]
- The seriously injured captain speaks by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Israeli prime minister's office publishes the call. [ 7 , 8 ]
- Nippon TV News reports the UAE attorney general's statement that the co-pilot tried to carry out a terrorist act, attacking the captain with an emergency axe. [ 1 ]
- NHK, citing UAE state media, reports that the co-pilot tried to carry out a terrorist act. [ 2 ]
- TBS NEWS DIG reports the captain's account that he was attacked minutes after the co-pilot began to pray. [ 3 ]
- NHK reports the captain saying the co-pilot told him he wanted to pray and that he was attacked from behind. [ 4 ]
- TBS NEWS DIG's Sunday Morning segment describes the near-crash and a passenger helping to save the aircraft, and says US President Donald Trump hinted at Iranian involvement. [ 5 ]
- Livedoor News reports the captain's account and his phone call with Netanyahu. [ 7 ]
- Nippon TV News publishes a segment in which a passenger describes the moments after the attack. [ 9 ]
- Sankei Shimbun reports Israeli media accounts that the co-pilot planned to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion airport and had postponed an attempt planned for July. [ 10 ]
- Jiji Press reports that the co-pilot told UAE investigators he planned to collide with an Israeli airport. [ 11 ]
- Mainichi Shimbun reports CBS saying an initial Israeli investigation indicated the co-pilot was likely a lone attacker, and that Israel sent a delegation to the UAE. [ 14 ]
- Yomiuri Shimbun reports the co-pilot's testimony on a planned crash into Ben Gurion airport and Reuters reporting on his move to Flydubai. [ 16 ]
- Asahi Shimbun reports a possible plan to crash into a US base in Jordan and an Australian investigation into the co-pilot's time studying there. [ 17 ]
- TBS NEWS DIG reports, citing Reuters, that the co-pilot said he planned the attack before joining the airline. [ 20 ]
- Toyo Keizai describes the episode as an attempted 9/11-style hijacking stopped by passengers and the captain. [ 21 ]
- TBS NEWS DIG reports Reuters saying the co-pilot researched airlines flying to Tel Aviv before choosing Flydubai. [ 22 ]