A Flydubai co-pilot attempted to seize control of a passenger jet and crash it into Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport in a premeditated suicide attack, UAE prosecutors have said.
The UAE's Attorney General, Dr Hamad Al Shamsi, announced on Friday that an investigation into the September 30 incident involving flight FZ1073, bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai, found that the aircraft's Omani co-pilot had carried out a terrorist plot to cause mass casualties at the Israeli airport.
The suspect, aged 29, was inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks and had decided to pursue a career in aviation specifically to carry out a similar operation, according to his confession.
Radicalised in Australia
Dr Al Shamsi said investigators traced the suspect's radicalisation to 2017, when he was studying in Melbourne, Australia. During that period, he was exposed to extremist literature and online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks.
He also attended a mosque affiliated with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, where he allegedly came into contact with people connected to a centre managed by a Lebanese man known as "Abu Hamza", said to have links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
He also said that he had prepared himself both psychologically and physically to carry out the plot by intensifying his exposure to material promoting terrorism and training in boxing under a private coach.
Investigators found he had used two earlier flights to Tel Aviv to reconnoitre the route and airport ahead of the attack.
No indications of extremism
The suspect worked for Oman Air between 2020 and 2024, then briefly for Royal Air Maroc in 2025, before joining Flydubai in January 2026. The investigation also examined the procedures through which the suspect had been recruited by Flydubai.
The findings showed that he had met the professional and security requirements for employment, including holding a pilot’s licence, providing a certificate of good conduct and completing the required checks.
However, none of the procedures revealed any indications of his extremist views or his intention to carry out a terrorist plot.
The attack
On the day of the incident, he allegedly struck the aircraft's captain with an emergency axe inside the cockpit. A pilot travelling as a passenger on the return flight noticed the cockpit door behaving unusually, gained entry, and, with the help of crew and passengers, restrained the suspect and rescued the injured captain.
The aircraft was diverted and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. The suspect confessed to acting alone, though investigations are continuing to verify that claim.
The Public Prosecution also heard statements from the aircraft’s captain, the return flight pilot, his co-pilot and members of the crew. The forensic medical report established that the captain’s injuries were concentrated on the head and consistent with the timing of the incident.
The findings were also consistent with the statements made by the suspect and the captain, as well as witness testimony. The Public Prosecution is reviewing recordings, technical reports and possible connections to accomplices.
