The Omani Flydubai co-pilot who hijacked a passenger plane last week planned to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion International Airport in central Israel, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif al Shamsi said on Friday.
Hammam al Hammami plotted the 9/11-inspired suicide attack before he was ultimately thwarted by the other pilot and several passengers aboard the commercial flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Sept. 30. The intended target was the Israeli airport’s passenger terminal, according to the Emirati official.
Al Hammami used two previous flights to Ben Gurion to “familiarize himself with the flight route and the airport,” the attorney general said. The suspect confessed to acting alone, but the UAE’s investigation into possible accomplices remains ongoing.
This marked the first time the United Arab Emirates admitted that the Flydubai co-pilot intended to crash the plane into Israel’s busiest airport.
Al Hammami, 29, apparently became fascinated with extremism and terrorism when he started studying in Australia in 2017, according to the UAE’s top prosecutor. The suspect worked for several airlines, including Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, before joining Flydubai earlier this year.
“Al-Hammami drew inspiration from the 9/11 attacks, and the idea of carrying out a similar operation using an aircraft became firmly established in his thinking,” the attorney general said. “According to his confession, this was linked to his decision to pursue a career in aviation.”
FLYDUBAI CO-PILOT ATTACKED CAPTAIN WITH CRASH AXE IN HIJACKING
The co-pilot is accused of attacking his fellow pilot with an axe used in case of emergencies before attempting to take control of the aircraft. He was eventually overpowered by multiple people aboard the plane. The plane plummeted between 14,000 and 17,400 feet in under two minutes during the cockpit altercation. The flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
The UAE, Israel, and Saudi Arabia are each investigating the premeditated terrorist plot. Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security and counterintelligence service, dispatched officials to the UAE to help interrogate the suspect.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
