Oct. 5 (UPI) — The man alleged to have attempted to hijack a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv likely intended to crash the plane into Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, unnamed sources told media outlets Monday.
Unnamed U.S. and Israeli sources said that Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, said that the Ben Gurion Airport was the likely target of the attack, CNN, ABC News and NPR reported Monday. The investigation is in its early stages.
The attempted attack occurred last week when al-Hammami was serving as a co-pilot on the flight. He allegedly attacked the pilot, Smit Machchhar, with an axe in an attempt to commandeer the plane, but he was stopped by the pilot and several passengers.
It has not been made clear what al-Hammami’s intentions truly were.
The United Arab Emirates is leading the investigation with Israeli officials aiding. The investigation is also looking into how al-Hammami was able to evade security protocols to be assigned to the flight, despite being flagged by Oman air as a security risk and having his copilot training suspended in 2024.
Al-Hammami was suspended from the Oman Air training program for allegedly possessing extremist materials.
“We recognize that there are many questions at this stage; however, the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation,” FlyDubai said in a statement.