Payam Javan: Israeli security investigations into the September 30 incident involving a Flydubai flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel have revealed suspicions that the co-pilot intended to weaponize the aircraft and target Ben Gurion Airport. According to senior officials, the co-pilot, identified as Omani national Hammam al-Hammami, had previously visited Israel in June with the original intention of carrying out a suicide attack during that trip. Subsequent plans to hijack an aircraft a month later were reportedly delayed after he felt sympathy for a crew member whom he knew personally.
Officials stated that on the day of the incident, al-Hammami waited until Flight FZ 1073, carrying 174 predominantly Israeli passengers, reached the Jordan-Saudi Arabia border region before launching his attempt to seize control. His alleged plan was to pilot the aircraft toward Israel disguised as a routine flight and crash it into the grounds of Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. In the event that reaching Israeli airspace proved unfeasible, investigators noted that his secondary contingency plan involved crashing the plane into a United States military base located in Jordan.
The United Arab Emirates prosecutor general previously stated that al-Hammami assaulted the flight captain, Smit Machchhar, using a crash axe in an explicit act of terrorism. During the ensuing cockpit struggle, the aircraft rapidly descended nearly 14,000 feet in under thirty seconds, causing severe distress among passengers. Captain Machchhar recounted that he fell to the ground during the violent confrontation and managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene and prevent a catastrophic outcome.
Following the intervention of passengers and crew, two reserve pilots aboard the flight assumed control of the aircraft and diverted it to safely land in Jordan. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently stated that the co-pilot exhibited clear signs of Islamist radical indoctrination and likely intended to execute an attack reminiscent of the September 11 attacks. Netanyahu noted that the suspect shouted demands to be killed after being subdued, confirming his suicidal intent during the harrowing ordeal.
In the wake of the incident, Israeli authorities have introduced stricter protocols, barring pilots from nations lacking diplomatic ties with Israel, such as Oman, from operating flights into the country. Prime Minister Netanyahu has also ordered a comprehensive review of foreign airline crew vetting procedures for all flights entering or leaving Israeli airspace. Meanwhile, international cooperation is underway, with an Australian counterterrorism unit examining potential links between the suspect and the country following revelations of his past enrollment at a Melbourne university.
Legal representation for al-Hammami remains unconfirmed, and investigations by multiple jurisdictions continue to uncover details regarding his background and radicalization path. Security agencies in the region are working to establish the full extent of the planning behind the thwarted attack and how the suspect managed to secure a position on the high-profile Dubai-Tel Aviv route. The incident has prompted widespread global discussions regarding aviation security, cockpit access controls, and the monitoring of potential insider threats within commercial airlines.
