Hamam al-Hammami, the Omani co-pilot on the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv who attacked the flight captain in a bid to crash the aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport, was reportedly inspired by the 9/11 attacks, a preliminary investigation has revealed.
According to a statement from the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Attorney General, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, carried by state media, the suspect wanted to carry out an attack similar to 9/11, which led him to pursue an aviation career.
1. According to a statement from the UAE Attorney General, “The idea of carrying out a similar operation using an aircraft became firmly established in his mind, which, according to his confessions, was connected to his decision to pursue a career in aviation.” The statement further said that Al-Hammami wanted to carry out “a premeditated plot with a terrorist objective, aimed at taking control of the aircraft and using it to carry out a targeting the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport,” with the intent of causing “the greatest possible number of casualties.”
2. The preliminary investigation also revealed that the 30 September flight wasn’t Al-Hammami’s first to . The suspect had already taken part in two flights to Ben Gurion Airport to become familiar with the route and airport in preparation for the attack. While he told the investigating agencies that it was a lone-wolf attack, an investigation is underway to determine the possible involvement of others.
3. According to the statement, he began gravitating towards extremism and terrorism in 2017 while studying in Australia. His views were shaped by extremist publications and online material that praised terrorist groups and suicide attacks. The statement said Al-Hammami “prepared himself psychologically and physically to carry out his plot by increasing his exposure to material inciting terrorism and training in boxing under a private coach.”
4. The who intervened and prevented the plane from crashing was assigned to the return flight and was near the cockpit when Al-Hammami carried out the attack. State media said, “He noticed the cockpit door opening and closing repeatedly in an unusual manner, which aroused his suspicions,” and added that he tried to enter the cockpit using the access code and saw the attack after gaining entry.
5. The UAE said it had reviewed flydubai’s hiring process for Al-Hammami. According to the state-run news agency, investigators confirmed that the suspect fulfilled the employment criteria: he held a pilot’s licence, submitted a good-conduct certificate and passed the required checks. “However, none of the procedures revealed any indications of his extremist views or his intention to carry out a terrorist plot,” it said.
On 30 September, Al-Hammami attacked flight captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe in an attempt to crash the aircraft, which was carrying over 170 people, mostly Israelis. The attempt failed after Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door despite being seriously injured. Crew members and passengers subdued the suspect, while two off-duty pilots made an emergency landing at a civilian and military base in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk.
The update from the UAE provides the most detailed account so far of the attack, along with the co-pilot’s history and the events that contributed to what the agency described as his extremist views.
