The FlyDubai incident investigation has yielded its first findings. UAE Attorney-General Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi announced on Friday, October 9, that the 29-year-old Omani co-pilot of flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30 had begun carrying out a premeditated plot to seize the aircraft and crash it into the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport, aiming to cause the greatest possible loss of life, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) report carried by Aletihad.
FlyDubai incident: the takfiri trail
According to the attorney-general, signs of the suspect’s drift towards extremism first emerged in 2017 while he was studying in Australia, where he was influenced by takfiri ideology through extremist literature and online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks. Prosecutors said he drew inspiration from the September 11, 2001 attacks and, according to his confession, his decision to pursue a career in aviation was linked to this idea. He worked for Oman Air from 2020 to 2024, briefly for Royal Air Maroc in 2025 and joined FlyDubai in January 2026.
Read More: ISIS Attack in Hawija Repelled, One Militant Killed
Axe attack in the cockpit
Investigators said the suspect used two earlier flights to familiarise himself with the route and the airport. On the day, he attacked the captain with an emergency axe; a pilot assigned to the return flight, helped by a crew member and passengers, restrained him, and the aircraft landed safely at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. Anadolu Agency also reported the findings. The suspect confessed to acting alone, but prosecutors are still investigating possible accomplices. Recruitment checks at FlyDubai had revealed no sign of his extremist views, the attorney-general said.
Sources: Aletihad (WAM), Anadolu Agency
About The Author
