Flydubai co-pilot planned crash before airline job, say Israeli officials

The co-pilot of a flydubai flight that was attacked last Wednesday told UAE interrogators he planned the assault before being hired by the airline, according to two Israeli officials. He allegedly intended to crash the plane into Ben-Gurion airport near Tel Aviv. The co-pilot, an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami, also operated a Tel Aviv flight earlier this year and planned to hijack it but changed his mind, possibly because he knew someone onboard, a third source said. The attack was foiled when passengers and crew subdued him after he stabbed the Indian pilot. The pilot survived and was hailed as a hero, while a reserve pilot landed the plane in Saudi Arabia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a security review, and authorities in New Zealand and Australia are investigating the co-pilot's past links to those countries.