Omani co-pilot targeted flydubai flight to crash in Israel

An Omani co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly told investigators he chose flydubai specifically because it flew to Tel Aviv, planning to seize control and crash the aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport. He reportedly conceived the plot before joining the airline. Al-Hammami is accused of attacking Captain Smit Machchhar with a cockpit axe on September 30, causing a steep descent before passengers and off-duty pilots intervened. He allegedly gathered information during prior visits to Israel and had considered a US military base in Jordan as an alternative target. Investigations are underway in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Australia, where he studied from 2015 to 2017. Al-Hammami was previously barred from flying by Oman Air over alleged extremist views, and Israel is now reviewing security procedures for foreign flights.