UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said on October 9 that the 29-year-old co-pilot from Oman planned to seize the plane and carry out a suicide attack at the terminal at Ben Gurion Airport, after two reconnaissance flights. According to Xinhua, he met the professional and security requirements, with no signs of extremism. ynet reported that he confessed to acting alone, and Gulf News that the signs of extremism appeared in 2017 in Australia. flydubai suspended its flights to Tel Aviv.
The finding settles some of the questions about motive and planning, but opens a question about how effective the screening of crew was before hiring.
Those flying with foreign airlines may encounter stricter checks; check your airline’s announcements.
The UAE stresses that the suspect met the requirements, so the failure is not only a local screening failure.
In Israel they argue that Israeli screening mechanisms should also be examined, and not rely only on the UAE.
Two open questions: who received information about the flag in Oman, and whether there were accomplices. Until the findings of the investigation are published, it cannot be determined that he acted alone.
Xinhua, ynet, Haaretz, Anadolu, TBS News, Gulf News (October 9, 2026)
UAE: flydubai co-pilot planned a suicide attack at the terminal at Ben Gurion Airport, after two reconnaissance flights
The UAE public prosecution also said the suspect met the company’s security requirements and, by his own admission, acted alone. The investigation into possible accomplices continues.
On October 9, the Attorney General of the United Arab Emirates, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said that the 29-year-old co-pilot from Oman on Flight FZ1073 planned to seize the plane and attack it in a suicide attack at the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport. Xinhua, ynet, Haaretz, Anadolu, TBS and Gulf News reported this. According to the reports, he used two earlier flights to Tel Aviv to study the route and the airport, and struck the captain with an emergency axe in the cockpit.
According to Xinhua, the suspect met all professional and security requirements, including a valid pilot’s license and background checks, with no signs of extremist views or plans. He worked for several companies, among them Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, before joining flydubai in January 2026. ynet reported that he confessed to acting alone, and Gulf News wrote that the signs of extremism appeared in 2017 while he was studying in Australia.
The UAE prosecution is the only source for the content of the confession, and DailyDrop has not seen the material itself. The finding partly contradicts earlier reports that he had been flagged in Oman as dangerous, and the gap between the accounts has not yet been explained. flydubai has suspended its flights to Tel Aviv until further notice, according to its CEO.