The Omani pilot who allegedly attempted to hijack a Flydubai flight last week told interrogators in the United Arab Emirates that he planned to crash the Boeing 737 MAX into Ben Gurion International Airport, according to CBS News.
Citing unnamed Israeli officials, the news outlet reported that Hamam al Hamami told investigators he planned the attack for over a year, starting before he was employed by Flydubai.
According to passenger accounts, Hamani attacked captain Smit Machchhar with a small axe about two and a half hours into a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. He attempted to damage the aircraft’s controls but was overpowered by passengers and crew members and dragged out of the cockpit. Two off-duty Flydubai pilots – one British, the other from an unspecified European country – then took the controls and landed the airplane in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
There were 172 passengers on board the flight, and most are Israeli.
Machchhar is recovering from his injuries at a hospital in the UAE. One passenger was also hospitalized, but has since been released.
A 9/11-style attack on Ben Gurion could have killed hundreds. It is Israel’s busiest airport, and the country’s main international hub.
While a potential catastrophe was avoided, the incident has nonetheless rattled Israel’s defense establishment, and exposed serious security lapses.
Multiple former defense and transportation officials in Israel have said that Hamami should not have been operating flights to Israel, since Oman does not recognize or have normal diplomatic relations with the country. Normally, only crew from countries that recognize Israel are permitted to fly there, since they can be properly vetted through intergovernmental channels.
It has been suggested that Hamami could hold dual citizenship, though this has not been confirmed.
A 2023 Israeli security law requires foreign carriers to submit lists of passengers and crew ahead of scheduled flights, but so far Israel’s transportation ministry and domestic and international intelligence services have said they are not responsible for reviewing that information.
Israeli officials have also said that Hamami was removed from a pilot role at Oman Air over suspected radicalization. Oman Air allegedly transferred him to an office job, and he voluntarily resigned shortly after.
Hamami later moved to the UAE and was hired as a pilot by Flydubai. The carrier did not check his background with Oman’s government, the Israeli officials said.
The UAE and Israel are jointly investigating the attempted hijacking, with U.S. and Saudi law enforcement agencies monitoring their progress.
