Accused Flydubai Hijacker Was Inspired by 9/11, Wanted “Greatest Possible Number of Casualties,” UAE Says

An accused Flydubai hijacker who allegedly stabbed his co-pilot multiple times in a bid to crash a flight bound for Tel Aviv was inspired by the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and sought “the greatest possible number of casualties,” authorities said.

The United Arab Emirates’ attorney general said in a statement Friday that Hamam al-Hammami pursued a career in aviation because of the 9/11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.

According to authorities, the suspect intended to slam the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv into Ben Gurion Airport. The Sept. 30 plot was ultimately thwarted by his fellow pilot.

“The idea of carrying out a similar operation using an aircraft became firmly established in his mind, which, according to his confessions, was connected to his decision to pursue a career in aviation,” Attorney General Hamad Saif al Shamsi said in the statement.

Al Shamsi described the harrowing episode as “a premeditated 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.”

The attorney general did not implicate Flydubai in the attack, according to Reuters.

Authorities say al-Hammami laid the groundwork for the alleged attack well in advance. He took two previous flights to Tel Aviv in an effort to “familiarize himself with the flight route and the airport,” the state news agency WAM reported, according to Reuters.

The suspect had worked for several airlines in different countries, including Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, before joining Flydubai in January.

The terrifying incident unfolded with more than 160 passengers on board. The plane sent out an emergency alert mid-flight, prompting Israel to scramble fighter jets.

At one point, the aircraft plunged 16,000 feet in just 30 seconds. Despite the chaos, the plane ultimately landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and the passengers on board were unharmed, according to multiple reports.

The incident took place in Saudi airspace, and Saudi Arabia is also investigating, Reuters reported.

The UAE’s findings paint a picture of a deliberate, long-planned scheme. According to the attorney general, the suspect’s fixation on the 9/11 attacks shaped his path into the cockpit, and his ultimate goal was a suicide attack on the passenger terminal at one of Israel’s busiest points of entry.

Instead, the plot was stopped in the air by his fellow pilot, despite the co-pilot being stabbed multiple times, and every passenger on board walked away unharmed after the plane’s emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Al Shamsi’s statement, released Friday, characterized the plot as having a clear terrorist objective: to take control of the aircraft and turn it into a weapon. The suspect’s prior trips along the same route, authorities said, were part of his preparation to carry out that plan.

The investigation into the Sept. 30 incident remains ongoing in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.