UAE prosecutor says Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash plane into Ben Gurion airport
In short
The UAE's attorney general, Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, said the co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September 2026, an Omani citizen, began carrying out a planned terrorist attack aimed at hijacking the aircraft and using it against the passenger terminal of Ben Gurion airport. According to the prosecutor, as reported by Russian outlets, the co-pilot attacked the captain with an axe and later confessed, saying he acted alone.
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The UAE attorney general, Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, said an investigation into the incident on Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September 2026 showed that the co-pilot, a citizen of Oman, began carrying out a pre-prepared terrorist plan to hijack the aircraft and use it for a suicide operation, RIA Novosti reported, citing the Emirati news agency. According to the statement, the aim was to cause as many casualties as possible in the passenger terminal of Ben Gurion airport. TASS reported that the attorney general said the co-pilot attacked the captain with an axe. [ 1 , 3 ]
Kommersant reported, citing the attorney general, that the co-pilot attacked the captain in order to take over the controls and direct the falling aircraft into the Ben Gurion airport building, and that he was inspired by the 11 September 2001 attacks. The attorney general said the detained man had confessed to his intentions and motive. "The accused, in the presence of his lawyer, gave a detailed confession of his motives, the stages of planning and carrying out the crime, admitting that he acted alone, without the involvement of other persons," Kommersant quoted him as saying. [ 2 ]
According to the attorney general, law enforcement traced the radicalisation of the pilot, whom Kommersant identified as 29-year-old Omani citizen Hamam al-Hammami. He said the man began working as a pilot specifically in order to carry out a mass killing. Investigators said he became interested in extremist content and literature in 2017 while studying in Melbourne, and began attending a mosque at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, where, according to law enforcement, he was in contact with a man nicknamed "Abu Hamza". The UAE links that man to the Muslim Brotherhood, Kommersant reported. [ 2 ]
The attorney general said that, according to the latest information, the man had no accomplices, and the UAE is continuing to investigate. Kommersant also reported that Amit Segal, a journalist with Israel's Channel 12, said the man confessed under questioning to planning an attack at Ben Gurion airport, and that he had intended to carry it out in July but changed his mind because he was friends with one of the crew members. Israel has not officially commented on this information, Kommersant reported. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
According to the UAE attorney general, the co-pilot started working as a pilot specifically to carry out a mass killing, and the target was a passenger terminal at Israel's Ben Gurion airport. The UAE says its investigation is continuing, and Israel has not officially commented, Kommersant reported.
Key facts
- The incident involved Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September 2026, according to the UAE attorney general. [ 3 ]
- The UAE attorney general named in the reports is Hamad Saif al-Shamsi. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The co-pilot is an Omani citizen; Kommersant identified him as 29-year-old Hamam al-Hammami. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The attorney general said the co-pilot attacked the captain with an axe. [ 1 ]
- The target was the passenger terminal of Ben Gurion airport, with the aim of causing as many casualties as possible, the attorney general said. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The co-pilot confessed in the presence of his lawyer and said he acted alone, the attorney general said. [ 2 ]
- Investigators said his interest in extremist content began in 2017 while he was studying in Melbourne. [ 2 ]
- The UAE says its investigation into the incident is continuing. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The UAE attorney general said the co-pilot of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv planned to attack Ben Gurion airport. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The co-pilot is a citizen of Oman. [ 2 , 3 ]
- According to the UAE attorney general, the co-pilot attacked the flight's captain. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The UAE attorney general released details of the co-pilot's confession. [ 2 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- What happened to the flight and its passengers and crew after the attack on the captain. None of the documents describe how the flight ended or whether anyone was injured.
- Whether the co-pilot had any accomplices. The attorney general said that, according to the latest information, he had none, but the investigation is continuing.
- Whether the co-pilot had earlier planned to carry out the attack in July. This comes only from Israeli Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal, as cited by Kommersant; Israel has not officially commented.
- The alleged link to the Muslim Brotherhood. This link is the UAE's version, reported by a single outlet.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS reports the UAE attorney general's statement that the co-pilot attacked the captain with an axe. [ 1 ]
- Kommersant reports the attorney general's account of the plan to direct the aircraft into Ben Gurion airport. [ 2 ]
- RIA Novosti reports the attorney general's statement on the plan to hijack flight FZ1073. [ 3 ]
- RIA Novosti reports that the UAE released details of the co-pilot's confession. [ 5 ]