Flydubai Co-Pilot's Terror Plot to Crash Plane in Tel Aviv Revealed

A new investigation published in Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper has revealed that a Flydubai co-pilot, identified as Al-Hammami, intentionally shut down the engines and planned to crash the Boeing 737 MAX into a skyscraper in Tel Aviv. Al-Hammami, who had been fired from Oman Air and Air Arabia Maroc for extremist views, also intended to kill the captain with an axe from the cockpit's emergency kit. His plan was to prevent the captain from reporting issues, fly into Tel Aviv undetected by air traffic control, and avoid interception by Israeli Air Force jets. The investigation details that after the pilots ate, Al-Hammami locked the cockpit door, which is armored and designed to prevent hijackings. Around 9:15 AM, at 34,000 feet, Al-Hammami announced he wanted to pray, then attacked the captain from behind with the axe. The captain, initially disoriented, realized he was under attack and bled profusely. He managed to trigger the cockpit door mechanism, allowing it to be opened from the outside. A five-year-old passenger, Nina Mans, asked her mother, Tali, to use the restroom. While waiting, Tali heard arguing and a struggle from the cockpit. She alerted an off-duty pilot in the business class section, who, with Tali's help, reached the cockpit door. Upon opening it, they saw Al-Hammami attacking the captain. Tali screamed, "He is killing the pilot!" Realizing his original plan was foiled, Al-Hammami then attempted to crash the plane into the desert by disengaging the autopilot and pushing the control stick forward. The aircraft rapidly lost altitude, exceeding its structural limits, and part of the tail broke off. A passenger, Yaniv Hayoun, reportedly intervened by pulling the control stick back, inspired by a TV show. Off-duty pilots then took control and stabilized the aircraft, transmitting an emergency code indicating a hijacking. Al-Hammami was subdued and tied down. The damaged plane, with the injured captain and two off-duty pilots at the controls, flew over Saudi Arabia before being diverted to Tabuk for an emergency landing at 10:57 AM, ending the ordeal.