The co-pilot suspected of attempting to hijack an Israel-bound flight “dreamed” of crashing the aircraft into Tel Aviv’s main airport, sources claim. Omani national Hamam al-Hammami is accused of attacking the flight’s captain with the onboard crash axe before trying to take control of the plane on Wednesday. He was allegedly stopped after passengers and crew stormed the cockpit and subdued him as the plane plunged 16,000 feet in about a minute.
Interrogation revelations
Sources in Israel claim al-Hammami revealed during interrogation that he had planned the hijack before being accepted as a pilot by Flydubai. He allegedly told investigators that he had “tried to get hired by all the airlines”.
“The dream was to crash into Ben Gurion Airport,” al-Hammami added, according to an Israeli source speaking to The Jerusalem Post. Ben Gurion Airport is Israel’s main airport, about 12 miles from Tel Aviv.
Alleged preparations and motives
Al-Hammami, 29, had regularly flown to the airport in his role as a pilot in recent months, it is claimed. Around July, he allegedly visited Israel to gather intelligence and prepare the attack. Days later, he planned to carry out his plot but aborted it due to having a close relationship with one of the on board crew members, The Jerusalem Post claims. A source told the outlet that Israeli authorities are working on the theory that al-Hammami was a “lone wolf”.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said al-Hammami had undergone “Islamist radicalisation”, but did not give evidence. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz called the incident an "attempted jihadist terror attack". The United Arab Emirates, which is leading the investigation, described the incident as a “terrorist attack”.
Flight details and aftermath
Some 182 people were on the plane which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Officials alleged al-Hammami had nearly crashed the aircraft. Reports in Italy, citing Israeli intelligence, claim al-Hammami intended to fly the plane into a skyscraper near Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
It comes as al-Hammami is believed to have written hateful social media posts while studying at a British university. A social media account thought to be linked to the co-pilot advocated violence against women and called for harsh religious punishments. The account said women should be “stomped on” and praised giving a woman a “pre-emptive slap”.
It has been confirmed that al-Hammami completed a distance-learning course in aviation management at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU), graduating in 2023. A BNU spokesperson said its thoughts were with those on board the Flydubai flight, adding al-Hammami “did not undertake any pilot training at the University”.
