UAE Attorney-General Reveals flydubai Co-Pilot Plot Findings in FZ1073 Investigation
UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi announced on October 10 that the investigation into flydubai flight FZ1073 found the aircraft's Omani co-pilot had allegedly planned to seize control of the plane and crash it into the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, aiming to cause maximum casualties, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM). The alleged plot was said to be inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The investigation traced the 29-year-old suspect's background and found signs of radicalisation first emerged in 2017, when he was studying in Australia and was influenced by extremist literature and online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks. He reportedly said his decision to pursue a career in aviation was linked to this objective. He had worked for Oman Air from 2020 to 2024 and Royal Air Maroc in early 2025 before joining flydubai in January 2026.
Investigators found he had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to familiarise himself with the route and airport, before allegedly attacking Indian captain Smit Machchhar with an emergency crash axe and attempting to seize control on his third flight on September 30. The captain prevented him, and the aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
The detailed public disclosure was intended to give passengers and the industry a full account of the foiled plot. Judicial proceedings and airline internal reviews arising from the case will anchor regional aviation safety discussion in the months ahead.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：Faisal Akram / Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 2.0）
