Flydubai pilot said he planned to crash plane at Ben Gurion, Israeli media report
In short
Israeli media reported that a detained Flydubai pilot told interrogators he planned to seize control of the aircraft and crash it into Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. Kommersant named the pilot as Hamam Al-Hammami and, citing Israeli television, said he claimed he had deliberately joined the airline to work flights to Israel and had dropped an earlier plan in July. Kommersant said there is no official confirmation; the Dubai–Tel Aviv flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on September 30 after the second pilot attacked the captain with a knife and passengers subdued him.
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A detained Flydubai pilot told interrogators he planned to seize control of the aircraft and crash it into Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, according to Israeli media reports carried by Russian outlets. RIA Novosti reported the claim on the evening of October 4, and RBC reported that in Israel it was stated the pilot intended to direct the falling plane at the airport. [ 1 , 2 ]
TASS, citing Israel's Channel 12, reported that the pilot planned to crash the plane into the airport terminal and that this was how he explained, during interrogation, why he attacked Indian pilot Smith Machchhar only when the aircraft was already over Jordan near Israel's borders. Political commentator Amit Segal wrote on Telegram that the pilot intended to approach landing normally and then, in the final seconds when interception would no longer be possible, direct the plane at the terminal building, according to Kommersant. [ 3 , 4 ]
Kommersant named the detained pilot as Hamam Al-Hammami, citing Israeli channel N12, and said there is no official confirmation of the information. Citing Israel's Channel 7, it also reported that he said he had deliberately joined flydubai to get the chance to work flights to Israel, and that he had intended to carry out the plan on a July flight but did not because he was friends with a crew member. [ 4 ]
The Boeing 737 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30 with 174 passengers on board, 27 of them children, Kommersant reported. The aircraft sent an alert, dropped altitude sharply and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a fight in which the second pilot attacked the captain with a knife; passengers subdued him. Israeli authorities classified the incident as an attempted terror attack. [ 4 ]
Kommersant reported that the attacker holds Omani citizenship and had worked at flydubai for less than a year, and that he had been dismissed from his previous company, where he worked for several years, over extremist views. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the man had undergone “radical Islamic indoctrination”, and investigators, based on the latest data, believe he acted alone. [ 4 ]
Kommersant also described how a scenario of seizing control from inside the cockpit would bypass the cabin door, which opens from outside only by code but from inside by a handle, giving a crew member already inside the cockpit the physical opportunity to attack the other pilot and try to take control. [ 4 ]
Why it matters
If officially confirmed, the account would put an airline crew member at the centre of an alleged plot to crash a passenger jet into Israel's main international airport, deepening the case that Israeli authorities have already classified as an attempted terror attack. It also raises questions about cockpit access and crew vetting that the documents describe but do not resolve. The documents give no official confirmation of the interrogation account.
Key facts
- Israeli media reported that a detained Flydubai pilot said he planned to seize control of the aircraft and crash it into Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Israel's Channel 12 reported he said he attacked Indian pilot Smith Machchhar only when the plane was already in the air over Jordan near Israel's borders. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Kommersant named the detained pilot as Hamam Al-Hammami, citing Israeli channel N12, and said there is no official confirmation of the account. [ 4 ]
- Citing Israel's Channel 7, Kommersant reported the pilot said he had deliberately joined flydubai to get assignments on flights to Israel and had planned to act on a July flight but did not because he was friends with a crew member. [ 4 ]
- The Boeing 737 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30 with 174 passengers, 27 of them children, when it sent an alert, descended sharply and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. [ 4 ]
- The emergency landing followed a fight in which the second pilot attacked the captain with a knife; passengers subdued him, and Israeli authorities classified the incident as an attempted terror attack. [ 4 ]
- Kommersant reported the attacker holds Omani citizenship, had worked at flydubai for less than a year and was dismissed from his previous employer over extremist views. [ 4 ]
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the man had undergone “radical Islamic indoctrination”, and investigators, based on the latest data, believe he acted alone. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the interrogation account reported by Israeli television has been officially confirmed. Kommersant states explicitly that the information has no official confirmation.
- Where the pilot is being held and where the interrogation took place. The documents refer to Israeli authorities and Israeli media but do not say where the pilot was detained or questioned.
- The claims that the pilot deliberately joined flydubai to work Israel flights and planned an earlier attempt in July. Reported only by Israel's Channel 7 as cited by Kommersant; no other document mentions them.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- RIA Novosti reports, citing media, that a Flydubai pilot planned to crash the plane at Ben Gurion airport. [ 1 ]
- RBC reports that in Israel it was stated the detained flydubai pilot said during interrogation he planned to direct the falling plane at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. [ 2 ]
- TASS, citing Israel's Channel 12, reports the pilot planned to crash the plane into the airport terminal and explains why he attacked Indian pilot Smith Machchhar only over Jordan. [ 3 ]
- Kommersant reports the N12 account, names the pilot as Hamam Al-Hammami and quotes Channel 12 commentator Amit Segal. [ 4 ]