World

Co‑pilot Inspired by 9/11 Attacks Made Two Pre‑Flight Visits to Ben Gurion Airport

By Swati Gandhi

Hamam al‑Hammami, the Omani co‑pilot on the flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv who attacked the flight captain on 30 September, was reportedly inspired by the 9/11 attacks, a preliminary investigation has revealed. According to a statement from the United Arab Emirates’ 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 a career in aviation. The statement said that al‑Hammami wanted to carry out a pre‑meditated plot with a terrorist objective, aimed at taking control of the aircraft and using it to carry out a suicide attack targeting the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport, with the intent of causing the greatest possible number of casualties. The preliminary investigation also revealed that the 30 September flight was not al‑Hammami’s first to Israel. He 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 investigators it was a lone‑wolf attack, an investigation is underway to determine possible involvement of others. According to the statement, he began gravitating toward 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. The pilot 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 the pilot 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. The UAE said it had reviewed flydubai’s hiring process for al‑Hammami. 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. 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.