UAE prosecutors say flydubai co-pilot planned suicide attack on Tel Aviv airport
In short
UAE prosecutors said the Omani co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 planned to seize the aircraft and attack Ben Gurion Airport's passenger terminal. The investigation concerns the September 30 Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight; Forbes Middle East reported that crew and passengers restrained the suspect and the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
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UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said on October 9 that investigators had uncovered a premeditated plot by the Omani co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 to seize the aircraft and launch a suicide attack against the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. The findings concern the flight scheduled from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026. Prosecutors said the 29-year-old suspect intended to cause the greatest possible loss of life. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
According to the attorney-general's account, signs of the suspect's drift towards extremism first emerged in 2017 while he was studying in Australia. Investigators said he read extremist literature and followed online material glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks. They said he drew inspiration from the September 11, 2001 attacks. According to a confession described by the attorney-general, the idea of conducting a similar attack using an aircraft was linked to his decision to pursue an aviation career. The suspect worked for Oman Air from 2020 to 2024, spent several months at Royal Air Maroc after joining in early 2025, and moved to flydubai in January 2026. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
The National and Forbes Middle East reported that investigators said he used two earlier flights to Tel Aviv to familiarise himself with the route and airport. Forbes reported that the suspect attacked the captain in the cockpit, and that a pilot assigned to the return flight intervened with a cabin crew member and passengers to rescue the injured captain and restrain the suspect. Its summary said the return-flight crew regained control of the aircraft and diverted it to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. [ 3 , 11 ]
Why it matters
Prosecutors said the alleged plot sought to cause mass casualties at the airport. Forbes Middle East reported that the captain was injured before others intervened and the flight was diverted.
Key facts
- Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi announced investigation findings on October 9 concerning flight FZ1073 on September 30. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Prosecutors said the 29-year-old Omani co-pilot planned to seize the aircraft and launch a suicide attack on Ben Gurion Airport's passenger terminal. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- Investigators traced signs of radicalisation to 2017, when the suspect was studying in Australia, the attorney-general said. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- The suspect joined flydubai in January 2026 after working for Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, according to the investigation. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Forbes Middle East reported that the return-flight crew regained control and diverted the aircraft to Tabuk Airport, where it landed safely. [ 11 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The account of the rescue and diversion is available here only in the Forbes Middle East summary. The other documents contain investigation findings or headlines without a full description of the cockpit intervention.