The co-pilot who attacked a fellow aviator aboard a Flydubai flight headed to Israel had plotted to evade Israeli air defenses and slam the aircraft into Ben Gurion International Airport or another prominent building, a Middle Eastern official told NBC News.
The suspect, identified as Hamman al-Hammami, an Omani citizen, disclosed his intentions to investigators on Monday. He is currently being held and questioned by Emirati authorities after being transferred from Saudi Arabia, where the aircraft was forced to land following the terrifying midair assault.
According to Emirati officials, al-Hammami attacked the plane’s captain, Smit Machchhar, with a crash ax and attempted to seize control of the cockpit. The aircraft carrying 174 mostly Israeli passengers plummeted approximately 14,000 feet in just 29 seconds, sending passengers into a state of panic.
Machchhar, a veteran Indian pilot with 17 years of experience, told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call that his co-pilot had excused himself to pray before the attack began. Moments later, Machchhar said he was struck with a powerful blow that nearly blinded him before he realized the plane was diving sharply.
Despite sustaining repeated strikes, Machchhar managed to force open the cockpit door on his second attempt, allowing crew members and passengers to intervene. He described the moment as giving everything he had to reach that door.
Serious questions are now emerging about how al-Hammami was permitted to fly the route in the first place. The Wall Street Journal reported that Oman had previously banned him from flying over concerns that he had embraced radical ideological views.
Israeli law requires airlines to submit crew and passenger information including names and nationalities at least 48 hours before departure. It remains unclear whether that information was properly reviewed before the flight.
Netanyahu has ordered the head of Israel’s National Security Council to appoint an independent examiner to conduct a full review of civil aviation security protocols following the incident.
In the United States, Vice President JD Vance addressed the situation while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, saying that the individual should never have been permitted to fly a commercial aircraft. Vance added that American officials are reviewing domestic screening procedures to ensure that individuals who pose a flight risk are not allowed in cockpits.
The investigation remains active and authorities have not yet officially confirmed al-Hammami’s identity publicly.