Flydubai Probe: Co-Pilot Planned 9/11-Style Crash Into Ben Gurion Airportਫਲਾਈਦੁਬਈ ਜਾਂਚ: ਸਹਿ-ਪਾਇਲਟ ਨੇ ਬੈਨ ਗੁਰੀਅਨ ਹਵਾਈ ਅੱਡੇ ਤੇ 9/11 ਵਰਗਾ ਹਮਲਾ ਯੋਜਨਾਬੱਧ ਕੀਤਾ ਸੀ

New revelations from the investigation into the September 30 flydubai cockpit attack show that Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami told investigators he planned to kill Captain Smit Machchhar, continue Flight 1073 to Tel Aviv as if nothing had happened, and then crash the plane into a building or a jet at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in a 9/11-style attack.

The plan, as investigators describe it

Al-Hammami, 29, who is under arrest in the UAE, told investigators he attacked Machchhar over Jordan as the plane was approaching Israel, Israel's Hebrew media reported. If the airport attack failed, he said he would have crashed the plane into a skyscraper in Tel Aviv or onto one of the US military bases in Jordan.

Machchhar himself recounted the attack to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week while being treated at a hospital in Abu Dhabi. He said al-Hammami had asked to pray minutes before striking him with a cockpit crash axe. “At first, I thought the plane was hit. But then... ‘The blows kept coming. I realised that it's not the aircraft, it's the other guy who was in the cockpit with me,’” Machchhar said.

Israel's Channel 13 reported, quoting investigators, that al-Hammami chose flydubai precisely because it operates Israel–UAE flights — and that he planned the attack before he was even hired. “I looked into which airline flies to Tel Aviv. That's why I chose Flydubai. I planned it even before I was accepted,” investigators quoted him as saying. He had originally intended to carry out the plan in July but delayed it because he had befriended a crew member, Channel 12 reported.

How the attack was foiled

Italy's Corriere della Sera reported that after attacking Machchhar, al-Hammami turned off the plane's engines and pushed the rudders forward, sending the aircraft into a plunge of 16,000 feet in under a minute — almost reaching the speed of sound. Investigators are also examining whether he moved the engine fuel switches from “Run” to “Cutoff” after his initial attempt to seize the plane failed, The Times of India reported.

Despite his head wounds, Machchhar sent distress signals and activated the mechanism that opened the cockpit door, allowing cabin crew and passengers to rush in and restrain the co-pilot. Two off-duty pilots then flew the aircraft to a safe emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Acted alone, Israeli probe finds

An Israeli official told CNN that the investigation so far suggests al-Hammami acted alone, and another Israeli source said Israel had found no known link between him and any group or government — though the probe is still ongoing. That finding sits uneasily alongside earlier claims: US President Donald Trump had suggested the co-pilot could be linked to Iran; the UAE attorney general has described the incident as an attempted “terrorist act”; and Netanyahu has said al-Hammami underwent “Islamist radical indoctrination.”

Al-Hammami was removed from his previous job at Oman Air after concerns about his extremist views, had lived in Syria during the civil war, and had reportedly posted online messages in support of al-Qaeda. He joined flydubai about eight months ago.

Security lapses under scrutiny

The investigation has exposed a chain of security failures. Regional officials told the Associated Press that Emirati authorities had shared passenger and crew data, including nationalities, with Israel — but Israel raised no red flags. Israel's Shin Bet says the Transportation Ministry is responsible for vetting foreign-flight passenger lists; Minister Miri Regev countered on X that her ministry was never given a passenger list or any warnings; and the ministry's aviation-security chief, Dvir Rubenstien, told Army Radio the ministry relies on local security checks abroad and lacks the tools to check every passenger on every flight.

Israel has since ordered a review of security procedures for foreign civil aviation. How an Omani citizen — Oman has no diplomatic relations with Israel — was cleared to fly a plane full of Israelis to Tel Aviv remains an unanswered question hanging over the probe.

What did the co-pilot allegedly tell investigators?

He said he planned to kill Captain Machchhar, fly normally to Tel Aviv to avoid suspicion, and crash the plane into a building or jet at Ben Gurion Airport in a 9/11-style attack, with backup targets in Tel Aviv or Jordan.

Did investigators find a terror-group link?

An Israeli official told CNN the probe suggests he acted alone, with no known link to any group or government found so far. The investigation is ongoing.

How was the attack foiled?

Wounded Captain Machchhar sent distress signals and opened the cockpit door; crew and passengers restrained the co-pilot, and two off-duty pilots landed the plane safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

What security questions has the probe raised?

Whether foreign flight crews are properly vetted, after the UAE shared crew data but Israel raised no flag — with Shin Bet and the Transportation Ministry blaming each other; Israel has ordered a review.