UAE Prosecutor: Flydubai Co-Pilot Planned to Crash into Ben Gurion Airport

The Attorney General of the United Arab Emirates confirmed on Friday that the co-pilot of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv intended to crash the plane into a terminal at Ben Gurion Airport. The co-pilot, identified as Hamaam Al-Ma'ami, an Omani citizen, confessed during questioning that he acted alone, though the investigation is ongoing. According to the prosecutor, Al-Ma'ami had previously flown to Tel Aviv twice to scout routes to the airport and was allegedly inspired by the 9/11 attacks. He reportedly visited Israel in June to gather intelligence for the planned attack and then piloted a flight to Israel in July, during which he intended to crash the plane. He postponed the plan due to his proximity to a crew member, rescheduling it for late September.

On the day of the incident, Al-Ma'ami surprised the captain in the cockpit and attacked him with an emergency axe. The captain resisted and attempted to call for help. The return flight captain, who was near the cockpit, noticed unusual door activity, entered with the code, and witnessed the attack. He intervened with the help of a flight attendant and several passengers, subduing Al-Ma'ami and rescuing the injured captain. The return flight captain and his co-pilot took control of the aircraft, diverted its course, and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Al-Ma'ami confessed his motive was revenge for events in the Gaza Strip, stating he wanted to die as a martyr. New footage released by N12 shows passenger Adar attempting to calm other passengers, explaining that an attacker entered the cockpit, stabbed one pilot, and that the other pilot was in control and stable, while the attacker was restrained. Investigators in Saudi Arabia and the UAE are examining Al-Ma'ami's phone for further details on his profile and intentions.