Flydubai Copilot Planned to Crash Into Ben Gurion Terminal

One Mile at a Time is reporting new details about the attempted hijacking of a flydubai flight from Dubai (DXB) to Tel Aviv (TLV) late last week. The first officer, identified as Hamam al-Hammami, stabbed the captain and tried to force the plane into the ground. Passengers subdued him after the injured captain opened the cockpit door.

What the pilot planned

According to One Mile at a Time, al-Hammami told interrogators his goal was to kill the captain without raising alarms, then let the flight proceed normally until seconds before landing. At that point he intended to crash the aircraft into the terminal building at Ben Gurion Airport. The attack was modeled on the 9/11 hijackings, the outlet reports.

A premeditated scheme

The first officer had been planning the attack since before he was hired by flydubai, One Mile at a Time reports. He specifically applied to the Dubai-based carrier because it operates flights to Israel. Oman Air had previously removed him from flying duties after discovering his radical views, but that information did not prevent his hiring at flydubai. The airline says it performed standard background checks.

Security gaps

Israel confirmed it received the crew manifest in advance and knew who was operating the flight. One Mile at a Time notes that the apparent failure to actively vet those lists represents a significant security lapse for a country that prides itself on national security. The damaged rudder on the aircraft, which landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, is visible in photos shared by the outlet.

• aviation security
• Ben Gurion
• flydubai
• Oman Air
• pilot
• terror plot