UAE says Omani flydubai co-pilot planned suicide attack on Tel Aviv flight
A plane, carrying passengers who were on the FlyDubai aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, arrives at the Ben Gurion International Airport, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, September 30, 2026. REUTERS
An Omani flydubai co-pilot had intended to seize a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight and crash it into a terminal at Israel's Ben Gurion airport on September 30 in a suicide attack before he was thwarted by his fellow pilot, the UAE attorney general said on Friday, according to the state news agency.
The statement by Attorney General Hamad Saif al Shamsi did not appear to implicate flydubai in any wrongdoing, and contained the most detailed account yet from prosecutors about what happened. Flydubai was not immediately available for comment.
The UAE attorney general said the Omani co-pilot of the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv planned to hijack the aircraft and carry out a suicide attack on a terminal at Ben Gurion Airport.
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The suspect "had begun carrying out a premeditated terrorist plot to seize control of the aircraft and use it to launch a suicide attack targeting the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, with the aim of causing the greatest possible loss of life", Al Shamsi said.
Read More: Flydubai co-pilot attacked pilot with axe, attempted 'terrorist attack', UAE says
The plan was inspired by the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US, UAE public prosecutors think, as a result of their criminal investigation launched on October 1. It found the suspect had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to "familiarise himself with the flight route and the airport", the state news agency WAM reported. It is the first public confirmation of the co-pilot's 9/11 inspiration.
The incident caused the jet to plunge 4,900 metres in 30 seconds.
Al Shamsi said the suspect had previously worked for several airlines in different countries, including Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, before joining flydubai in January 2026.
Saudi Arabia has launched a separate safety investigation into flight FZ1073's incident, sources told Reuters. The aircraft was in Saudi airspace when the Omani co-pilot attacked the aircraft's captain with a crash axe, typically kept in the cockpit for use during emergencies.