Flydubai hijacker planned to crash aircraft in 9/11-inspired attack, UAE says

The alleged hijacker of a flydubai plane planned to crash into Israel's Ben Gurion airport, according to a senior Emirati official.

The plan was inspired by the 9/11 attacks, UAE attorney general Hamad Saif al Shamsi said, and the suspect had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to survey the route and the airport.

On the day of the hijacking, he allegedly attacked captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe, typically kept in the cockpit for use during emergencies.

The plane was carrying more than 170 passengers and crew, most of them Israeli - and plunged 16,000 feet ​in 30 seconds during the incident.

The suspect - identified as Omani national Hamam al Hammami - was co-pilot aboard flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September.

Mr Machchhar was hailed a hero after he managed to open the cockpit door, despite being wounded.

Passengers and crew were able to subdue the alleged attacker and relief pilots safely landed the plane in Saudi Arabia, where the suspect was later transferred to the ​UAE on Thursday.

He worked for several airlines in different countries, including Oman ​Air, before ​joining flydubai in January 2026, the attorney general said.

He added that the suspect had met all professional and security requirements, but "none of the procedures revealed any indications of his extremist views or his intention to carry out a terrorist plot".

Sources earlier told the Associated Press that al Hammami - who has a Syrian mother and was born in the UAE - was banned from flying by Oman over fears he had adopted extremist views.

Earlier this week, Israeli prime minister Benjamin ⁠Netanyahu said pilots who are citizens of countries that Israel does not have diplomatic relations with, including Oman, are not permitted to operate flights to the country.

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He also claimed that the co-pilot had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination" and said it appeared "very likely that he was going to down the plane".

New Zealand Assistant Police ⁠Commissioner Michael Johnson said on Monday that the co-pilot had spent time in the country, with police looking into the period.

An Australian counterterrorism unit is also investigating his links to Australia, while Buckinghamshire New University in the UK has confirmed he completed a distance-learning course in aviation management.

(c) Sky News 2026: Flydubai hijacker planned to crash aircraft in 9/11-inspired attack, UAE says