UAE prosecutor says Flydubai co‑pilot planned suicide crash into Tel Aviv airport

The Omani co‑pilot attacked the captain with an axe, was overpowered, and the plane was diverted to Saudi Arabia, officials said.

By Felo News Desk · Published Fri, 09 Oct 2026 22:40:24 GMT

UAE prosecutors said the Omani co‑pilot of a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv intended to seize control of the aircraft and crash it into Ben Gurion Airport, drawing inspiration from the September 11 attacks.

What happened

On 30 September 2026, Hamam al‑Hammami, a 29‑year‑old Omani national, attacked the captain of Flydubai flight FZ1073 with an axe while the plane was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Passengers and an off‑duty pilot subdued him, and the aircraft was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. The flight carried 174 passengers, most of whom were Israeli.

What the reports add

Both the New York Post and The Independent reported that the UAE’s top prosecutor, in a statement carried by state news agency WAM, said al‑Hammami “drew inspiration” from the 2001 Sept 11 attacks and used two earlier Dubai‑Tel Aviv flights to familiarize himself with the route and the airport. The Independent added that al‑Hammami provided a detailed confession in the presence of his lawyer and that investigators believe he was radicalised at a mosque in Australia while studying at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 2017. The New York Post noted that Flydubai’s security checks had not flagged any extremist views.

What was said

The UAE attorney‑general’s statement, quoted by both outlets, said al‑Hammami acted “with the intention of causing the greatest possible number of human casualties.” The statement also recorded that al‑Hammami “admitted that he had acted alone, without the involvement of others.”

How it came about

Felo News previously covered the same incident in several pieces, including UAE prosecutors say Flydubai co‑pilot plotted suicide attack on Ben Gurion airport (published 9 Oct 2026) and Omani co‑pilot identified as suspect in Flydubai cockpit axe attack (3 Oct 2026). Those articles detailed the axe attack, the safe diversion to Tabuk, and the co‑pilot’s background, providing the context for today’s statement about his motives and planning.

Key facts

Hamam al‑Hammami, a 29‑year‑old Omani national, attacked the captain with an axe on Flydubai flight FZ1073. (nypost.com)
The flight carried 174 passengers, most of them Israeli, and was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. (independent.co.uk)
UAE prosecutors said al‑Hammami intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport, inspired by the Sept 11 attacks. (nypost.com)
Al‑Hammami rehearsed the plot on two earlier Dubai‑Tel Aviv flights and was radicalised at an Australian mosque in 2017. (independent.co.uk)
He confessed to acting alone in the presence of his lawyer. (independent.co.uk)