The co-pilot who attempted to hijack an Israel-bound flight planned to crash it into a terminal at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in a 9/11-inspired attack, according to the UAE attorney general.
uncertain
who → attempt → general
The attacker, identified as Hamam Al Hammami, 29, severely wounded captain Smit Machchhar using the onboard crash axe as he tried to take control of the Flydubai plane on its way to Tel Aviv last week.
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he → identify → Aviv
Passengers and crew grappled with the Omani national to regain control of the aircraft, which plummeted 14,000ft in just 29 seconds.
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which → grapple → seconds
The plan was inspired by the 9/11 attacks, UAE attorney general Hamad Saif Al Shamsi has said, with investigations revealing the suspect had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to 'familiarise himself with the flight route and the airport'.
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suspect → inspire → route
The hijacker attempted to take control of the plane 'with the intention of causing the greatest possible number of human casualties,' the UAE's top prosecutor said in a statement carried by the state news agency WAM.
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prosecutor → attempt → agency
Al Hammami 'admitted that he had acted alone, without the involvement of others,' the statement said, adding that he 'provided a detailed confession outlining his motives and the stages of planning and execution' in the presence of his lawyer.
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he → admit → lawyer
It also suggested he was radicalised at a mosque in Australia while attending the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 2017.
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he → suggest → 2017
Investigators examined Flydubai's recruiting procedures and found the suspect had met all professional and security requirements, including holding a pilot's licence and providing a certificate of good conduct.
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suspect → examine → conduct
Hamam al-Hammami, the suspected hijacker of the Flydubai aircraft, is an Omani national
The co-pilot (pictured) used the cockpit's crash axe in his attempt to take control of the Flydubai plane
'
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pilot → suspect → plane
However, none of the procedures revealed any indications of his extremist views or his intention to carry out a terrorist plot,' Al Shamsi added.
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Shamsi → reveal → plot
Al Shamsi said the suspect had told investigators he had prepared psychologically and physically for the attack by viewing material promoting terrorism and taking boxing lessons.
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he → say → lessons
The co-pilot had previously worked with Oman's national airline as a trainee in 2024 but was removed from flying because of concerns that he may have been influenced by radical groups.
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he → work → groups
He was then moved to an administrative job at Oman Air.
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He → move → Air
Al Hammami was later hired by UAE-based airline Flydubai in January 2026, but it was not immediately clear to what extent the co-pilot was vetted.
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pilot → hire → January
However, it has been confirmed by a Gulf diplomat that he had undergone standard security checks before being hired, but it appears the checks focused on whether he had been convicted of criminal charges and didn't go deeper into examining his background for potential signs of radicalisation.
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he → confirm → radicalisation
The UAE's investigation found there were signs of the suspect drifting towards 'extremism and terrorism' as early as 2017, while he was studying in Australia.
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he → find → Australia
Royal Air Maroc confirmed that Al Hammami had undergone three-months training with the airline in 2025, but his application to work there afterwards was rejected.
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application → confirm → 2025
Al Hammami, who studied at a British university, was born in the UAE, and his mother is Syrian.
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mother → study → UAE
He obtained Omani nationality from his father.
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He → obtain → father
While enrolled at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) – where he studied for a three-year, distance-learning degree in aviation before graduating in 2023 – Al Hammami seemingly encouraged violence towards women in a series of social media posts, praising giving them a 'pre-emptive slap'.
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Hammami → enrol → slap
The university said that Al Hammami did not take any pilot training at the school.
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Hammami → say → school
It is understood he also studied engineering at a university in Australia.
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he → understand → Australia
Al Hammami was born in the UAE and his mother is Syrian.
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mother → bear → UAE
He obtained Omani nationality from his father.
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He → obtain → father
US and Israeli intelligence also believe the co-pilot planned to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport or a tower block in the city.
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pilot → believe → city
Benjamin Netanyahu's government had been prepared to shoot the plane down to avoid an 'Israeli 9/11', sources told CBS News.
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sources → prepare → News
Passengers and crew, including the captain Mr Machchhar, have been hailed for their bravery in preventing what is believed to be an attempted suicide mission.
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what → include → bravery
One of whom is said to have been an off-duty British pilot.
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One → say → whom
Mr Machchhar was praised for saving the lives of those 174 passengers on board, which included four Americans.
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which → praise → Americans
While cruising mid-air, the hero was able to fight off his co-pilot in the cockpit and his attempts to sabotage the plane's systems.
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hero → cruise → systems
Distressing footage showed Mr Machchhar lying on the ground covered in blood as passengers tended to his injuries, while another pilot is seen seemingly lying nearby unconscious.
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pilot → show → injuries
Passengers can be heard telling one of the men: 'You saved the plane.'
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You → hear → plane
Footage filmed by passengers shows wounded captain Smit Machchhar lying on the floor as others tend to him
According to reports by CNN, two posts were made to a LinkedIn page matching Al Hammami's identity, just nine hours after the attack.
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posts → film → attack
The first post reportedly featured a series of clips filmed in the cockpits of a Boeing 737 Max aircraft.
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post → feature → aircraft
One clip, geolocated to Dubai International Airport, zoomed in on the plane that belongs to the Israeli airline El Al.
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that → geolocate → airline
The cockpit screen showed the flight number – OMA624 – and the date, October 11, 2023, which matches the time when Al Hammami worked at Oman Air.
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Hammami → show → Air
The flight number corresponds to a flight that usually travels from Dubai to Muscat.
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that → correspond → Muscat
Other clips showed more planes from El Al, and one from another Israeli airline, Arkia.
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clips → show → airline
It ends with a photo of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who led Al Qaeda after Osama Bin Laden's death, and a photo of Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, who killed nine people in a 2009 suicide bombing.
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who → end → bombing
The second post on the profile shows an AI-generated image of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem – Islam's three holiest sites – linked by a glowing trail.
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post → show → trail
…and 6 more, not listed.
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