Flydubai Co-Pilot Allegedly Planned 9/11-Style Attack at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport: Reports

The Omani co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv had allegedly planned to seize control of the aircraft and deliberately crash it at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in an attack inspired by the September 11, 2001, attacks, according to Israeli media reports.

Hamam Al-Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani first officer who is currently under arrest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), reportedly told investigators that he intended to kill Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar and then continue operating the flight normally until it approached Israel.

According to reports cited by Israeli media, Al-Hammami planned to obtain the necessary landing clearance without raising suspicion before deliberately crashing the aircraft into a building or another aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport.

Ynet, citing investigative sources, reported that Al-Hammami intended to initiate the final stage of his alleged plan while the aircraft was over Jordan and approaching Israel. He reportedly believed that waiting until the aircraft was close to its destination would leave authorities with little time to understand the situation or intervene.

If he was unable to carry out the attack at Ben Gurion Airport, he allegedly planned to crash the aircraft into a skyscraper in Tel Aviv or target a US military facility in Jordan.

The alleged plan was disrupted after Captain Machchhar, despite suffering serious injuries, fought back against the co-pilot. Machchhar managed to send distress signals and open the cockpit door, allowing other crew members and passengers to intervene.

Two off-duty pilots travelling on the flight subsequently helped regain control of the aircraft, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia and landed safely, averting what could have been a major disaster.

Captain Machchhar is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Abu Dhabi. During a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, he recounted how the attack began.

Machchhar said Al-Hammami had asked to pray shortly before allegedly attacking him with a crash axe. The first blow struck him heavily on the head, initially leaving him believing that the aircraft itself had been hit.

"As the assault continued, I realised that the danger was coming from the person sitting beside me in the cockpit," Machchhar said.

"The blows kept coming. I realised that it's not the aircraft; it's the other guy who was in the cockpit with me," he recalled.

Further reports have emerged concerning the alleged preparation for the attack. Israel's Channel 12, citing sources, reported that Al-Hammami had initially planned to carry out the operation in July but postponed it because he was friends with one of the crew members.

He had reportedly flown to Ben Gurion Airport several times after joining flydubai. During a visit to Israel in June, he allegedly gathered information relevant to the planned attack, according to the reports.

Channel 13 reported that the alleged plan had been conceived even before Al-Hammami joined flydubai, the Dubai-based airline that operates services between the UAE and Israel.

"I looked into which airline flies to Tel Aviv. That's why I chose flydubai. I planned it even before I was accepted," he reportedly told investigators.

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera separately reported that after attacking Machchhar, Al-Hammami switched off the aircraft's engines and pushed the rudders forward. The report claimed that these actions caused the aircraft to lose approximately 16,000 feet of altitude in less than a minute and approach the speed of sound.

These details have not been independently verified and remain part of an ongoing investigation.

The incident has also raised questions over aviation security, including how Al-Hammami was cleared to operate flights to Israel and whether information about his background was adequately assessed before he was assigned to the flight.

Officials have reportedly said that Oman had previously barred Al-Hammami from flying because of concerns over alleged extremist views. He is an Omani citizen whose father is Omani and mother Syrian, and he had lived in Syria during its civil war. Reports have also alleged that he posted messages online expressing support for al-Qaeda.

It remains unclear how such concerns, if confirmed, were not identified as a potential security risk before he was employed as a co-pilot on flights to Israel.

The incident has also prompted questions about how an Omani citizen was able to operate a flight to Tel Aviv, given that Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. However, nationality by itself does not determine an individual's eligibility to serve on an international commercial flight, and the precise screening procedures applicable to crew members remain part of the investigation.

Regional officials told The Associated Press that Emirati authorities had shared information on passengers and crew members, including their nationalities. They said Israel had not raised any security alerts concerning either the passengers or crew.

The officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to publicly discuss the investigation.

Israel's Shin Bet security agency said responsibility for vetting passenger lists received from foreign flights rests with the Transportation Ministry.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev said on X that flight security falls under the responsibility of the country's security agencies and that her ministry had not received a passenger list or any warning concerning the flight.

Sharing passenger and crew information is a standard part of international aviation security procedures. However, Dvir Rubenstien, head of aviation security at Israel's Transportation Ministry, told Army Radio that the ministry relies on security checks carried out by local security authorities and does not have the capacity or tools to independently screen every passenger on every incoming flight.

The investigation is expected to examine not only the co-pilot's alleged motives and preparations but also how he was recruited, cleared to fly and permitted to operate a route to Israel despite the security concerns now emerging in the case.