Omani Co-Pilot Planned 9/11-Style Attack on Israel, Report Says
Translated & summarized from i24NEWS by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Omani co-pilot planned to crash Flydubai flight into Israeli targets.
- Suspect was previously flagged as security threat but hired by Flydubai.
- Israel was prepared to shoot down the plane to prevent attack.
- Passengers and crew heroically subdued the hijacker.
- Flydubai suspended flights to Tel Aviv amid investigation.
An Omani co-pilot, who attempted to hijack a Flydubai flight bound for Israel, intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport or the Azrieli towers in Tel Aviv in a spectacular attack mirroring the September 11th disaster. The suspect, Al-Hamami, confessed during interrogation that he had planned the operation long in advance, gathered intelligence in Israel, and specifically chose Flydubai because it flew to Tel Aviv. He is currently detained in the United Arab Emirates, where authorities indicated he could face the death penalty.
Questions have been raised regarding security lapses, as Al-Hamami was reportedly flagged as a security threat in Oman in 2024 and suspended from his pilot training at Oman Air for possessing extremist materials and posting violent, antisemitic content online. Despite this, he was hired by Flydubai just eight months ago. In response, Flydubai stated the circumstances are under investigation and temporarily suspended its flights to Tel Aviv.
Israeli intelligence and aviation experts, alongside American agents, have joined the investigation in Abu Dhabi, which currently assesses Al-Hamami as a lone actor. During the incident, Israel's security establishment prepared for the most extreme scenario. Reports indicate that Israel was ready to shoot down the passenger plane, which carried over 150 Israeli civilians, if it had continued on its path toward Israeli airspace. An emergency committee was convened, and fighter jets were scrambled as the plane made a sharp descent and communication was lost from the cockpit.
The averted disaster was credited to the bravery of Captain Smit Machar, the crew, and several Israeli passengers. Al-Hamami reportedly attacked the captain with an emergency axe and attempted to bring down the aircraft. The injured captain managed to fight back, open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower and restrain the hijacker. Two off-duty pilots aboard the flight regained control of the plane, stabilized it, and executed an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, from where the suspect was transferred to UAE authorities.
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