Flydubai Co-Pilot Allegedly Planned To Crash Plane At Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport: Report

The flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking his captain during a flight had allegedly planned to seize control of the aircraft and crash it at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, according to Israeli media reports.

Omani national Hamam al-Hammami reportedly told investigators that he intended to fly the aircraft toward Tel Aviv before crashing it into a building or another aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport, Israeli outlet Channel 13 and News24 reported.

According to the reports, al-Hammami also allegedly planned to kill Captain Smit Machchhar inside the locked cockpit before taking control of the aircraft. Channel 13 reported that the alleged plan had been formulated before al-Hammami joined flydubai and that he chose the airline because it operated flights to 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.

Co-Pilot Allegedly Used Trips To Israel To Prepare

Al-Hammami reportedly told investigators that he had used previous trips to Israel to gather information and develop his plans.

He allegedly intended to carry out the attack in July but changed his plans after developing a friendship with a crew member. Investigators were also reportedly told that if he could not reach Israel, he had planned to crash the aircraft into a US military base in Jordan.

Aircraft Lost 16,000 Feet In Under A Minute

According to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, al-Hammami also allegedly interfered with the aircraft’s controls during the incident, causing the engines to be switched off and the aircraft to lose altitude rapidly.

The report said the plane plunged about 16,000 feet in less than a minute and approached the speed of sound.

Australian counter-terrorism authorities are also reportedly examining al-Hammami’s background.

Captain And Passengers Helped Stop Attack

The alleged attack took place while the aircraft was flying over Jordan. Despite suffering injuries, Captain Machchhar reportedly managed to force open the cockpit door.

Passengers then entered the cockpit, restrained al-Hammami and helped regain control of the aircraft. Two off-duty pilots reportedly took over and flew the plane to safety in Saudi Arabia.

Authorities have launched a joint investigation into the incident, including reports that al-Hammami studied engineering in Melbourne for three years between 2015 and 2017. Investigators are examining whether he was radicalised while in Australia.

Oman Reportedly Raised Concerns Over His Views

Reports have also claimed that al-Hammami had previously been barred from flying in Oman because of concerns over his alleged extremist views.

It remains unclear how he was subsequently permitted to operate a passenger flight to Israel.

Following the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a review of security arrangements for international flights entering the country.