UAE: Co-Pilot Targeted Ben Gurion Terminal

The attorney general's statement said investigators found the first signs of al-Hammami's radicalization in 2017, while he was studying in Melbourne, Australia. In that period, the statement said, he took in extremist ideology through extremist literature and online content that glorified terrorist groups and suicide attacks. Al-Shamsi said the September 11, 2001 attacks inspired the plot. In his confession, al-Hammami said the idea of carrying out a similar operation with an aircraft was tied to his choice to become a pilot.

Ynet reported further details from the statement. In his confession, al-Hammami said that as a student in Melbourne he was a regular worshipper at a mosque linked to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He also told investigators he prepared himself for the plot by consuming more material that encouraged terrorism and by training with a private boxing instructor.

His aviation career included four years at Oman Air and a brief stint at Royal Air Maroc in 2025, before he joined Flydubai in January 2026. UAE investigators found that he met the airline's professional and security requirements, including a valid pilot's license, a certificate of good conduct and completed background checks. None of those checks exposed his extremist views or his intentions. He trained at L3 Airline Academy in the UK in 2018 and 2019, according to Britain's The Telegraph.

The attorney general also set out what happened in the cockpit. Al-Hammami took Captain Smit Machchhar by surprise and struck him with the emergency crash axe. Machchhar fought back and tried to summon help. The assault took place over Saudi airspace and sent the plane down about 16,000 feet in 30 seconds.

A Flydubai captain assigned to the return leg happened to be near the cockpit. "He noticed the cockpit door repeatedly opening and closing in an unusual manner, which aroused his suspicions," the statement said. He got in with the access code. Helped by a crew member and several passengers, he rescued the wounded captain and subdued the attacker. He and his co-pilot then took the controls, turned the aircraft off its route and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Al-Hammami gave a detailed confession with his lawyer present and claimed he acted alone. Al-Shamsi stressed that investigators are still checking that claim, along with the suspect's connections and whether anyone helped plan or facilitate the attack. Prosecutors have taken testimony from the captain, the return-flight pilot and his co-pilot, and the cabin crew. The UAE opened its criminal investigation on October 1, and Saudi Arabia has opened a separate aviation safety investigation.

Al-Hammami linked the attempt to the war in Gaza, according to Israel's Channel 12 News. "I did it as revenge for Gaza. I wanted to die as a shahid," he reportedly told investigators.

On October 5, UAE prosecutors charged al-Hammami with attempted terrorism, a charge that can carry the death penalty under Emirati law. On October 8, President Isaac Herzog awarded the Presidential Medal of Civilian Heroism to six Israeli passengers who overpowered the attacker and helped save the 174 people on board.