UAE Prosecutors Reveal Flydubai Co-Pilot's Planned Suicide Attack on Tel Aviv Airport

UAE prosecutors have revealed that a Flydubai co-pilot attempted to take control of a passenger aircraft and crash it into Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport in a premeditated suicide mission.

Speaking on Friday, the UAE's Attorney General, Dr Hamad Al Shamsi, stated that an investigation into the September 30 incident aboard flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv uncovered that the Omani co-pilot had executed a terrorist plot designed to cause mass casualties at the Israeli facility.

According to his confession, the 29-year-old suspect was motivated by the September 11, 2001 attacks and pursued an aviation career specifically to replicate a similar operation. Dr Al Shamsi reported that the suspect's radicalisation began in 2017 while studying in Melbourne, Australia, where he consumed extremist literature and online material praising terrorist groups and suicide attacks.

Investigators also noted he frequented a mosque associated with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, allegedly meeting individuals linked to a centre managed by a Lebanese man known as "Abu Hamza", who is said to have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. The suspect previously flew for Oman Air between 2020 and 2024 and briefly for Royal Air Maroc in 2025 before starting at Flydubai in January 2026. Prior to the attack, he used two earlier flights to Tel Aviv to scout the route and airport.

During the flight, the suspect allegedly attacked the aircraft's captain with an emergency axe inside the cockpit. A pilot off-duty as a passenger noticed unusual activity at the cockpit door, forced entry, and alongside crew members and passengers, successfully restrained the suspect and aided the wounded captain. The flight was subsequently diverted, landing safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

While the suspect admitted to acting alone, authorities are continuing their investigation to verify this claim. The Public Prosecution is currently examining recordings, technical reports, and potential links to accomplices.