The Flydubai co-pilot who attempted to hijack a passenger aircraft traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv last week had planned to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport in a terrorist attack intended to cause mass casualties, United Arab Emirates prosecutors announced Friday.
UAE Attorney General Dr. Hamad Al Shamsi revealed the findings of an investigation into the September 30 incident aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073, identifying the suspect as a 29-year-old Omani national who had allegedly spent years preparing to carry out the attack.
According to investigators, the co-pilot, previously identified as Hamam al-Hammami, admitted that he had been inspired by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States and had chosen to pursue a career as a commercial pilot with the intention of eventually carrying out a similar operation.
The investigation determined that al-Hammami's radicalization began in 2017 while he was studying in Melbourne, Australia.
During his time there, he reportedly encountered extremist publications and online materials promoting terrorist organizations and suicide attacks.
Investigators also examined his attendance at a mosque associated with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, where he allegedly encountered individuals linked to a center operated by a Lebanese man known as "Abu Hamza", who was said to have connections to the Muslim Brotherhood.
According to the attorney general, al-Hammami subsequently intensified his exposure to extremist propaganda as part of his psychological preparation for the planned attack.
He also undertook physical training, including private boxing lessons, which investigators said formed part of his preparations.
The investigation found that the suspect had previously traveled on two flights to Tel Aviv to familiarize himself with the route and Ben Gurion Airport before attempting to carry out the plot.
Authorities also reviewed al-Hammami's aviation career and the circumstances surrounding his employment by Flydubai.
He worked for Oman Air between 2020 and 2024, subsequently spent a brief period with Royal Air Maroc in 2025 and joined Flydubai in January 2026.
Investigators determined that the suspect had satisfied the professional and security conditions required for employment by the airline.
These included possession of a valid pilot's license, submission of a certificate of good conduct and completion of the necessary screening procedures.
However, the recruitment process did not uncover evidence of his extremist beliefs or intentions to carry out a terrorist attack.
The findings follow a report published earlier this week by Britain's The Telegraph, which revealed that al-Hammami had received professional flight training in the United Kingdom.
According to the newspaper, he attended L3 Airline Academy between 2018 and 2019, when the institution was among Britain's largest aviation training schools.
The academy operated several facilities across England, including major training centers in Southampton and Bournemouth and a flight simulator facility near Gatwick Airport.
The company has since become part of Acron Aviation.
The Telegraph also reported that L3 had maintained connections with Oman Air, where al-Hammami was employed until February 2025.
Oman Air had previously identified the academy as one of five internationally recognized flight training institutions whose graduates were eligible for consideration under its pilot recruitment program.
Israel's Channel 12 News reported recently that al-Hammami had connected his attempted attack to the war in the Gaza Strip.
“I did it as revenge for Gaza. I wanted to die as a shahid," al-Hammami reportedly told investigators.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)