Flydubai Co-Pilot Planned Attack Before Joining Airline

The co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073, who attacked the captain in an attempt to hijack the plane en route to Israel last week, had planned the attack even before being hired by the airline, two Israeli sources familiar with the investigation told Reuters on Monday. According to the sources, the co-pilot told investigators in the UAE that before applying to Flydubai, he searched for airlines operating flights to Tel Aviv. A third source involved in the investigation, being conducted by UAE authorities, stated that the suspect planned to crash the Wednesday flight at Ben Gurion Airport. This source added that the suspect had previously flown to Tel Aviv earlier this year and also planned to hijack the plane and crash it then, but changed his mind, possibly because he knew someone on board. All sources spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the investigation. The co-pilot is an Omani citizen named Al-Hamami, according to two sources cited by Reuters. UAE authorities and Flydubai have not officially released his identity. Al-Hamami is currently held in the UAE, and it is unknown if charges have been filed against him. The UAE Attorney General stated that the co-pilot attacked the captain with an emergency axe in an incident authorities deemed a "terrorist attack." Passengers and crew managed to subdue him after the captain, Indian national Smith Machar, was injured but succeeded in opening the cockpit door. Another Flydubai pilot on board took control of the aircraft and landed it at an airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The flight carried over 170 passengers and crew, most of them Israelis. The suspect was initially arrested by Saudi authorities and later transferred to the UAE. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated after the incident that pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel, such as Oman, would not be permitted to operate flights to Israel. Following the event, Netanyahu ordered a review of security arrangements for foreign airlines operating routes to Israel. Meanwhile, a joint counter-terrorism unit in Australia is investigating the suspect's ties to the country, as he reportedly studied at RMIT University in Melbourne about a decade ago.