FlyDubai co-pilot planned to crash plane into Israel's Ben Gurion airport, officials say
Israeli officials say the FlyDubai co-pilot who attacked his captain last week told UAE interrogators he planned to crash the plane into Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, having conceived the attack before being hired by the airline. The Omani national, identified by sources as Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly intended to hijack an earlier flight to Tel Aviv this year but aborted the plan, possibly because he knew someone onboard. Passengers and crew subdued him on flight FZ1073, and a reserve pilot landed the aircraft in Saudi Arabia. The co-pilot was transferred to UAE custody on Thursday, and Israel is being updated on the probe. Prime Minister Netanyahu has ordered a review of foreign airlines, and an Australian counterterrorism unit is investigating the co-pilot's past enrollment at RMIT University in Melbourne.