UAE says flydubai co-pilot 'had planned a suicide attack'

An Omani co-pilot working for Dubai-based airline flydubai planned to hijack a passenger aircraft bound for Tel Aviv and crash it into a terminal at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, but was thwarted by the captain during an incident on September 30, the United Arab Emirates attorney general said on Friday.

Attorney General Hamad Saif al Shamsi said the 29-year-old co-pilot attacked the captain with a crash axe while the aircraft was flying through Saudi airspace. The incident caused the plane to plunge 16,000 feet in 30 seconds before the attacker was overpowered.

Two other pilots aboard the aircraft subsequently landed it safely in Saudi Arabia. The suspect was then transferred to the UAE, where flydubai is based. Saudi Arabia has launched a separate safety investigation into the incident involving flight FZ1073.

According to the UAE attorney general, investigators believe the alleged plot was inspired by the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. The suspect had reportedly taken two earlier flights to Tel Aviv to familiarise himself with the route and airport, the state news agency WAM reported.

The investigation found that the suspect had met all professional and security requirements during flydubai's recruitment process, including holding a pilot's licence and providing a certificate of good conduct, while the checks revealed no indications of extremist views.

UAE authorities have not publicly identified him, although a source familiar with the matter identified him as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national.