UAE prosecutors have concluded that the Flydubai co-pilot who assaulted the aircraft's captain with an axe last month intended to seize the plane and crash it into a passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, aiming to inflict mass casualties.
The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, planned to take control of the 182-passenger jet and dive it into the terminal, the UAE's top prosecutor said Friday. In a statement carried by the state-run WAM news agency, the official said Hammami acted "with the intention of causing the greatest possible number of human casualties."
According to authorities, Hammami was radicalized by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States and had taken two prior flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv to study the route and the airport's layout. The findings provide new insight into the Sept. 30 incident, which forced a Flydubai flight bound for Israel to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia following a violent struggle in the cockpit.
The assailant attacked Capt. Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot with 17 years of experience, as the plane flew over a region near Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Despite suffering serious injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to intervene as the aircraft rapidly lost altitude. The plane plunged an estimated 14,000 to 16,000 feet in under a minute before passengers subdued the attacker and two reserve pilots took control, landing safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
After receiving medical treatment in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, Machchhar recounted the ordeal in a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "When I was on the ground, I realized that the aircraft is going down," Machchhar said in Hindi, according to an Associated Press translation. "And I told myself, 'This is the last push, Smit. The door is right there.'" Modi praised the captain for preventing what he described as another Sept. 11-style attack, calling it "the highest form of courage."
In Friday's statement, prosecutors said Hammami confessed to acting alone and provided a detailed account of his preparations and motives in the presence of his lawyer. The UAE's investigation underscores the gravity of the threat and raises questions about aviation security protocols, particularly on routes between the Gulf and Israel.
Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have previously pointed to the co-pilot's intent to bring down the aircraft. The incident has also drawn attention to the arrest of the co-pilot and the broader implications for regional security. As investigations continue, the captain's own account of the harrowing struggle highlights the role of crew and passengers in averting a catastrophe.
The UAE's findings are likely to intensify scrutiny of security screening for airline personnel and may prompt a review of cockpit access procedures on international flights. With tensions already high in the region, the foiled plot serves as a stark reminder of the persistent threat posed by lone-wolf terrorists inspired by past attacks.
