Terrorist Hijacker Planned 9/11-Style Attack On Israeli Airport

The Omani co-pilot accused of trying to hijack an Israel-bound passenger plane began radicalizing as a student in Melbourne, Australia, where he fell in with people tied to an Islamic center he claimed was backed by a Muslim Brotherhood-linked group, United Arab Emirates investigators said Friday.

The UAE’s attorney general, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said the 29-year-old suspect had spent years developing extremist views before attempting to seize control of FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 on September 30. Investigators said he had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to familiarize himself with the route and airport before attempting to carry out the plot on his third trip; odder still is that Israel and Oman do not have normalized relations, meaning the Omani should never have been allowed to fly to Israel.

According to the UAE attorney general’s account, the suspect’s movement toward extremism began in 2017. Investigators said he became influenced by takfiri ideology, which can be used to justify violence against people deemed apostates, through extremist literature and online material glorifying terrorist organizations and suicide attacks.

The suspect, identified as Hammam al-Hammami, attended a mosque affiliated with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, where he was studying mechanical engineering. He subsequently became acquainted with individuals associated with an Islamic center known as My Centre, according to the UAE’s account of his statements.

The suspect reportedly told investigators that the center was managed by a Lebanese man known as Abu Hamza and received support from an association linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. The UAE statement did not provide further details about the association it referenced, and the investigation remains ongoing.

The Trump administration in January designated the Brotherhood’s Lebanese branch a foreign terrorist organization and placed its Egyptian and Jordanian branches on the Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists, citing support for Hamas.

In August, a Senate Judiciary subcommittee chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) held a hearing on the Brotherhood’s network in the U.S., which all of the panel’s Democrats boycotted.

The aircraft was carrying 174 people, most of them Israeli passengers, when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with an emergency axe inside the cockpit. The captain resisted, while reserve pilots traveling aboard the aircraft for the return journey intervened with help from a cabin crew member and passengers.

The plane plunged thousands of feet during the confrontation before the reserve pilot regained control and diverted it to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. The captain suffered injuries to his head, which investigators said were consistent with an attack using an emergency axe.

Al-Hammami allegedly told investigators that the September 11, 2001 attacks helped inspire his ambition to carry out a similar operation using an aircraft. According to the attorney general, the suspect said that ambition was connected to his decision to pursue a career in aviation. Investigators said he prepared for the attack by increasing his exposure to material promoting terrorism and training in boxing under a private coach. The UAE investigation also examined how the suspect was hired by FlyDubai despite the alleged development of extremist beliefs years earlier.

According to the attorney general, al-Hammami worked for Oman Air from 2020 to 2024, joined Royal Air Maroc in early 2025, and moved to FlyDubai in January 2026. Investigators said he held a pilot’s license, provided a certificate of good conduct, and completed the required professional and security checks. None of those procedures, the attorney general said, revealed indications of the suspect’s extremist views or an intention to carry out a terrorist plot.

The suspect reportedly confessed to planning and carrying out the operation in the presence of his lawyer and with the legally required safeguards in place. He told investigators that he had acted alone, but authorities said they were continuing to examine possible accomplices or other connections.

The investigation also includes a review of recordings, technical reports, and other evidence. Saudi authorities have launched a separate safety investigation into the incident.

The incident has raised questions about whether warning signs of the suspect’s radicalization were detected or shared among relevant authorities before he was assigned to an Israel-bound flight. The UAE’s findings say the airline’s hiring checks did not reveal evidence of the alleged plot; the public account has not established whether other agencies had prior information about the suspect.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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