The United Arab Emirates has confirmed the chilling motive behind the flydubai cockpit attack: Attorney General Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said on October 9, 2026, that co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami drew inspiration from the September 11, 2001 attacks when he allegedly tried to seize flydubai flight FZ1073 and crash it into Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport. It is the first official confirmation that the would-be suicide pilot modeled his plot on 9/11.
The September 30 cockpit attack
On September 30, 2026, flydubai flight FZ1073 — a Boeing 737 MAX 8 traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv — became the scene of one of the most alarming cockpit attacks in recent aviation history. The 29-year-old Omani first officer, identified in media reports as Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar from behind with an emergency crash axe while the aircraft cruised at around 34,000 feet over Saudi Arabia. During the struggle the jet plunged between 14,000 and 17,400 feet in under two minutes, according to investigators.
All 174 people on board, most of them Israeli passengers, were in grave danger. Prosecutors say al-Hammami intended to overpower the captain, seize the controls, and deliberately crash the plane into the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport "with the intention of causing the greatest possible number of human casualties."
Confession and the 9/11 inspiration
In the October 9 statement carried by the UAE's state-run WAM news agency, the attorney general revealed that al-Hammami had made a detailed confession in the presence of his lawyer, outlining his motives and the stages of planning and execution. "Al-Hammami drew inspiration from the 11 September 2001 attacks, and the idea of carrying out a similar operation using an aircraft became firmly established in his thinking," Al Shamsi said — adding that the confession showed this link was tied to his very decision to pursue a career in aviation.
Prosecutors say the co-pilot had reconnoitered his target on two previous flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv, using them to "familiarize himself with the flight route and the airport." He told investigators he acted alone, but authorities say they are still verifying that claim and probing possible accomplices or other support.
Radicalization trail — and clean cockpit checks
Al Shamsi described a "drift toward extremism and terrorism" beginning in 2017, while al-Hammami was studying in Melbourne, Australia at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He regularly attended an RMIT-affiliated mosque linked to a Lebanese man known as "Abu Hamza" with alleged Muslim Brotherhood ties, and began reading extremist writings and online content glorifying terrorist groups and suicide attacks. He also trained in boxing under a private coach.
Despite all this, al-Hammami passed every professional and security check — pilot's licence, certificate of good conduct, airline vetting — with no indication of extremist views. He flew for Oman Air from 2020 to 2024 (The Wall Street Journal reports he had been barred from flying there over extremist-ideology concerns), then Royal Air Maroc in 2025, before joining flydubai in January 2026.
How the plot was foiled
The attack was stopped only because the injured captain fought back. A pilot assigned to the return flight, traveling as a passenger, noticed the cockpit door repeatedly opening and closing, entered using the access code, and found the assault underway. With help from a cabin crew member and several passengers, he freed the wounded captain and restrained al-Hammami. A forensic report found the captain's injuries were concentrated on his head and consistent with an emergency axe. The other pilots diverted the jet to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, landing safely, and the suspect was transferred to the UAE.
The UAE's investigation, launched October 1, is still reviewing recordings and technical reports. The near-crash has halted flights between the UAE and Israel — a cornerstone of the two countries' 2020 diplomatic recognition deal — and has become a flashpoint as Israel nears an election.
The takeaway: an insider with full cockpit access allegedly planned a 9/11-style mass-casualty attack — and it was stopped only by the resistance of the wounded captain and the passengers around him.
Watch: Hamam al-Hammami's chilling confession to the flydubai terror plot — DNA India's report
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Volatile Reaction (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources
- Times Now: UAE confirms flydubai co-pilot's alleged 9/11-style plot
- The Wall Street Journal: FlyDubai co-pilot planned to crash into Israeli airport, U.A.E. says
- Washington Examiner: Flydubai hijacker planned to crash plane into Ben Gurion Airport
- The National: Flydubai co-pilot attempted 9/11 suicide attack on Tel Aviv