Israeli Mossad agents and aviation experts are taking part in the investigation into an attempted terror attack involving a flydubai flight in Abu Dhabi.
According to a report by Smadar Perry in ynet, citing a senior Emirati official, Saudi and Omani intelligence officials are also participating in the investigation, along with at least two American representatives from intelligence agencies.
The Emirati official said the Israelis are also expected to enter the interrogation room. The investigation is being led by Hamad Saif Al-Shamsi, the UAE’s Attorney General.
According to the report, the investigation is focused on the planning of the terror attack allegedly carried out by 29-year-old co-pilot Hamam Al-Hamami. The Emirati official claimed that Al-Hamami did not merely intend to crash the aircraft, but planned to crash it into a high-rise building in Israel, in a plot modeled on the September 11 attacks. The target reportedly under consideration was the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv.
The report also said that Al-Hamami had previously been fired by Oman Air because of his extremist views and was barred from working as a pilot in his home country. He subsequently moved to Morocco, visited Syria, and was eventually hired by flydubai.
During the eight months he worked for the airline, he reportedly flew to Israel dozens of times, most recently just days before the incident. According to the allegations, he planned to incapacitate the Indian pilot, take control of the cockpit, and fly the aircraft toward Israel.
The report also raises questions about how Al-Hamami was hired by flydubai. The source in Abu Dhabi claimed that "incriminating materials" had already been found in his possession during his training in Oman, and that he was barred from sitting in the cockpit until he was dismissed.
According to the senior Abu Dhabi official, Al-Hamami is expected to face the death penalty once the investigation is completed. The source explained that although the incident ended without any passenger fatalities, the UAE intends to seek the harshest possible punishment as a deterrent.
"There will be no leniency here," he said, adding that no pardon would be granted.