Flydubai Co-Pilot Accused of Planning 9/11-Style Attack on Israel
UAE authorities claim the co-pilot intended to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport, inspired by the 9/11 attacks.
The co-pilot of a Flydubai flight en route to Tel Aviv attempted to hijack the aircraft with the intent of crashing it into Ben Gurion Airport, a 9/11-inspired attack, the United Arab Emirates attorney general has stated. The suspect, identified as Hamam Al Hammami, 29, allegedly used a crash axe to attack the captain, Smit Machchhar, as he tried to gain control of the plane.
During the struggle, the aircraft plummeted 14,000 feet in just 29 seconds. Passengers and crew members grappled with Al Hammami, an Omani national, to regain control of the aircraft. The UAE's top prosecutor, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said in a statement that investigations revealed Al Hammami had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to familiarize himself with the route and the airport.
Al Hammami confessed that he acted alone, detailing his motives and planning in the presence of his lawyer. Investigators found that Al Hammami had met all professional and security requirements, including holding a pilot's license and providing a certificate of good conduct, but these procedures did not reveal any signs of his extremist views or intent. He reportedly admitted to preparing for the attack psychologically and physically by viewing extremist material and taking boxing lessons.
The investigation suggests Al Hammami began drifting towards extremism as early as 2017 while studying in Australia. He also attended Royal Air Maroc for training in 2025, but his subsequent application to work there was rejected. Al Hammami, who was born in the UAE to a Syrian mother and obtained Omani nationality from his father, also studied at Buckinghamshire New University in the UK.
US and Israeli intelligence also believe the co-pilot planned to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport or a nearby tower block. Sources told CBS News that the Israeli government was prepared to shoot down the plane to prevent an 'Israeli 9/11'.
Captain Machchhar was credited with saving the lives of the 174 passengers on board, including four Americans. Distressing footage showed Machchhar injured on the floor as passengers attended to him, with one passenger heard telling him, "You saved the plane."
Following the incident, posts to a LinkedIn page believed to belong to Al Hammami appeared to show clips from aircraft cockpits, including one geolocated to Dubai International Airport showing a plane belonging to the Israeli airline El Al. Other clips featured planes from El Al and Arkia. The posts reportedly ended with images of Ayman al-Zawahiri, former leader of Al Qaeda, and Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, who carried out a suicide bombing in 2009. Another post showed an AI-generated image of Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem linked by a glowing trail, with a poem about rejecting humiliation and defending dignity being recited.
Buckinghamshire New University confirmed that its license to sponsor international students had been suspended by the Home Office due to concerns about its compliance with sponsorship duties, though the university stated these issues were unrelated to Al Hammami or the Flydubai attack.