The 30 September cockpit attack on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv has raised further questions over the incident after investigators are reportedly examining whether the Omani co-pilot deliberately sought employment with the airline operating flights to Israel as part of a possible plan to target Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
Reuters reported that interrogation of Hamam al-Hammami indicated that he had planned to crash flight FZ1073 into Ben Gurion Airport.
Investigators cited in the report also found that he had allegedly considered crashing another aircraft into earlier this year, but eventually abandoned the plan.
The revelations have raised fresh questions about how al-Hammami was able to secure a job as a commercial airline and whether his alleged plans were known or detected during the recruitment and vetting process.
Experts cited by The Guardian said evidence of prior planning could suggest that al-may have specifically sought employment with an airline flying to Israel.
US President Donald Trump said Monday that he personally believes Iran was responsible for the 30 September incident, according to AP.
Asked whether he believed Iran was behind the attack, Trump replied: “I do. I personally do.”
Trump’s remarks came even as investigators have not publicly established a conclusive link between Iran and the incident.
US Vice President struck a more cautious tone when asked about possible Iranian involvement.
Vance said there was “nothing conclusive” linking Iran to the incident and said he would defer to CIA Director John Ratcliffe and US intelligence officials, according to AP.
“That’s something that I defer to John Ratcliffe and some of the intelligence folks on,” told reporters while travelling to Alaska. “I don’t want to get ahead of any announcements there, but it’s certainly something that we’re looking at. But I wouldn’t say I’ve seen anything conclusively just yet.”
UAE Attorney General and Prosecutor General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said on 3 October that a preliminary investigation indicated that al-Hammami had attempted to carry out a terrorist attack.
“Investigations into the incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 found that the co-pilot had attempted to carry out a terrorist attack,” he said, adding that authorities were working to establish the “full circumstances, motives, and any links”.
The investigation is therefore examining not only the attack itself but also the co-pilot’s possible motive and whether he had any outside links.
According to reports, al-Hammami allegedly used an emergency crash axe kept inside the cockpit to attack Indian captain Smit Machchhar.
The attack took place around two hours and 20 minutes after take-off on the flight.
The aircraft was carrying more than 180 passengers, most of them Israeli, along with crew members.
was attacked and injured, forcing the aircraft to divert to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing.
The incident has since been treated as a suspected “attack” by authorities in the region.
NBC News, citing US officials briefed on the investigation, reported that investigators believe al-acted alone rather than as part of a larger organisation.
However, the report stressed that the investigation remains in its early stages.
(With inputs from Reuters, AP)
