An Omani co‑pilot employed by Flydubai allegedly planned to hijack a Dubai‑to‑Tel Aviv flight and deliberately crash it into a terminal at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on September 30, a suicide bid that was thwarted by the aircraft’s captain, according to the UAE attorney general’s statement on Friday.
Attorney General Hamad Saif al‑Shamsi’s remarks did not suggest any culpability on Flydubai’s part and offered the most comprehensive account to date from prosecutors regarding the alleged incident. Flydubai has not yet responded to requests for comment.
UAE prosecutors believe the scheme was inspired by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, a conclusion drawn from their criminal investigation that began on October 1.
According to the state news agency WAM, investigators discovered that the suspect had taken two earlier flights to Tel Aviv to familiarize himself with the route and the airport. This marks the first public confirmation that the co‑pilot’s plot was motivated by the September 11 attacks.
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