UAE says flydubai co-pilot planned suicide attack on Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport

A flydubai co-pilot planned an attack modelled on the Sept. 11 attacks, the United Arab Emirates' attorney general, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said on Friday, according to state news agency WAM. The Omani national allegedly intended to take control of a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight on Sept. 30 and crash the aircraft into the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion airport. Investigators say he used two earlier flights to Tel Aviv to familiarise himself with the route and the airport.

According to the authorities, the suspect attacked the captain in the cockpit with an emergency axe. A pilot assigned to the return flight grew suspicious because the cockpit door was opening and closing unusually often. He entered using the access code and, with a crew member and several passengers, subdued the man. The jet reportedly plunged 16,000 feet in 30 seconds. The crew regained control and, according to Ynet, landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia; the captain was injured.

Prosecutors said the suspect gave a detailed confession in the presence of his lawyer and claims he acted alone. Investigators are still examining whether others were involved; according to The Times of Israel, officials from Israel's Shin Bet security service took part in the questioning. The man joined flydubai in January 2026 after flying for Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc. Pre-employment checks revealed no indication of extremist views, prosecutors said. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.