Flydubai co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami told detectives it was his 'dream' to crash a plane into Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, according to intelligence sources cited by The Mirror, as further lapses in vetting came to light.
Attack plot details emerge
Hammami, 29, is accused of attacking the captain of the Israel-bound Flydubai flight FZ1073 with an axe in an attempt to hijack the aircraft and launch a terror attack. After pulling the plane into a 14,000ft nosedive, passengers rushed into the cockpit and subdued him. An emergency landing was made in Saudi Arabia, and Hammami is currently being held for questioning in the UAE, where the plane was registered.
Intelligence sources claim Hammami plotted the attempted hijacking months in advance, even choosing which airline to work for based on whether their routes fly over Israel. A transcript of the interview given to the Jerusalem Post by an Israeli intelligence source read: "I tried to get hired by all the airlines. I planned the operation even before I was accepted by the company. The dream was to crash into Ben Gurion Airport."
Familiarisation and abandoned plans
Hammami admitted using routine flights through the region and visits to the airport to familiarise himself with the target, the report added. He is said to have initially planned to carry out the hijacking and deliberate crash landing in July, but abandoned his plans after discovering a crew member he was friends with was on board.
The close call has sparked comparisons with the September 11 attacks and ignited a political row over whether the co-pilot could have been stopped sooner. On Sunday, authorities in the UAE claimed they had shared a list of passengers and crew with Israel ahead of the flight, naming Hammami.
Political fallout and review
Officials had previously said the Omani co-pilot had been barred from flying by his own country because of concerns about his extremist views. Flight staff from Oman are usually banned from entering Israel, as the two countries have no formal diplomatic relations - something critics say should have been picked up by Israeli authorities before take-off.
The Shin Bet security agency claimed in the days after the hijacking that Israel's Transport ministry was responsible for vetting passenger and crew lists from foreign flights. Transport minister Miri Regev rejected this in a social media post, saying her department had not received a list or any warnings.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had told the head of the National Security Council to appoint an examiner to review "all security aspects regarding foreign civil aviation to Israel." This comes amid a tight parliamentary election campaign in Israel, in which Netanyahu is battling to hold on to power.
Ofer Winter, chairman of the new right-wing Amcha Yisrael party and a former senior IDF commander, said: "Just as on October 7th, it was heroic citizens who saved the day this time as well. Once again, it is citizens who are taking responsibility and are willing to sacrifice themselves." Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar is in hospital after fighting off the attack.
