A flydubai pilot who allegedly attacked a colleague in the cockpit on a flight to Israel planned to crash into Ben Gurion Airport, Israeli media outlets have reported.
Israeli news site Ynet, citing officials, reported that the pilot intended to continue flying normally before crashing into Israel’s main airport.
This is why the pilot allegedly waited until the plane was in Jordanian airspace to stab his captain, according to reports cited in The Times of Israel.
If he could not reach Israel, he planned to crash into the US military base in Jordan, Channel 12 reported.
Pilot planned attack for months, Israeli media reports
Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, who attempted to hijack the plane carrying 174 passengers, is being interrogated in the United Arab Emirates, the Times of Israel reported.
He was previously suspended from flying by Oman Air after being identified as a security risk, according to US reports.
Investigators told the outlet the pilot had planned the attack for July but did not follow through after forming a personal relationship with one of the crew members.
The commercial flight, which was bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai on Wednesday, was labelled a terrorist attack by the UAE prosecutor general over the weekend.
Mr Al-Hammami’s plan to crash the plane was thwarted by the actions of Israeli passengers, as well as the struggle put up by Indian captain Smit Machchhar.
Smit Machchhar was stabbed by his co-pilot mid-flight on Wednesday. (x: India in Israel)
The jet plunged nearly 14,000 feet (4,267 metres) in less than 30 seconds.
Most passengers on board were Israelis.
A reserve flydubai pilot travelling on the flight took control of the aircraft and landed it at Tabuk airport in north-western Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was detained and later transferred to the UAE on Thursday.
AFP confirms investigation of flydubai co-pilot’s Australian links
A counterterrorism team is investigating Australian links to Mr Al-Hammami.
The investigation is being conducted by the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO, an AFP spokesperson said.
An AFP spokesperson said an update would be provided “at an appropriate time”.
Sources close to the incident confirmed the pilot was issued a student visa in 2014 and studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017, whereafter he left the country.
RMIT confirmed Mr Al-Hammami studied engineering at the Melbourne university but did not complete his degree.
His visa was cancelled in 2019.
Israel to ‘ramp up’ security after pilot attack
The ABC understands his visa was not cancelled on character grounds, but due to his lack of enrolment in a course, rendering him ineligible for a student visa.
The ABC understands the Joint Counter Terrorism Team investigation will examine whether the man was radicalised while in Australia.
Netanyahu orders review into aviation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and was clearly suicidal, although he has not said when or where that indoctrination allegedly occurred.
Benjamin Netanyahu says he will review all security aspects regarding foreign civil aviation to Israel. (Reuters: Ronen Zvulun)
There are questions over major security lapses and Israel’s vetting of foreign airline crews after the pilot was barred from flying by his own country because of concerns about his extremist views.
It also remains unclear how a citizen of Oman, an Arab country that has no diplomatic relations with Israel, was allowed to fly a plane load of Israelis to Tel Aviv.
Yesterday, Mr Netanyahu instructed the National Security Council to appoint an examiner to “conduct a thorough review of all security aspects regarding foreign civil aviation to Israel”.
Israel has no official diplomatic relations with Oman, and Mr Netanyahu has also said pilots from such countries were not permitted to operate flights to Israel.
It is not clear how the co-pilot was assigned to the flight to Tel Aviv.
ABC/Reuters