Israeli media outlets report that the co-pilot accused of attacking a colleague aboard a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv planned to crash the aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport. The ABC, which relayed the reports, also says Israel has ordered a review of foreign civil aviation security.
What Israeli media reported
Ynet, citing officials, reported that the co-pilot planned to fly normally before crashing at Israel’s main airport. The Times of Israel cited reports that he allegedly waited until the aircraft was in Jordanian airspace before stabbing the captain. Channel 12 reported that, if he could not reach Israel, he planned to crash into a US military base in Jordan.
The ABC identifies the co-pilot as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami and reports, citing The Times of Israel, that he was being interrogated in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE prosecutor general labelled the incident a terrorist attack, according to the ABC. These reports describe allegations, not findings established in the article.
Flight and investigations
The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carried 174 passengers, according to the ABC. The report says the aircraft plunged nearly 14,000 feet (4,267 metres) in less than 30 seconds. A reserve flydubai pilot travelling on board took control and landed it at Tabuk airport in north-western Saudi Arabia; the co-pilot was detained there and later transferred to the UAE, the ABC reports.
An AFP spokesperson told the ABC that the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO, is investigating the co-pilot’s Australian links. RMIT confirmed he studied engineering at the Melbourne university but did not complete his degree. The ABC says he studied in Australia from 2015 to 2017 and that his visa was cancelled in 2019 because he was no longer enrolled, not on character grounds. The investigation will examine whether he was radicalised in Australia, according to the report.
Israel orders aviation security review
The ABC reports that Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the National Security Council to appoint an examiner to “conduct a thorough review of all security aspects regarding foreign civil aviation to Israel.” Netanyahu also said pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel were not permitted to operate flights there, according to the report.
The ABC says it remains unclear how the co-pilot was assigned to the Tel Aviv flight. The report does not give the outcome of the Israeli review.
Source: ABC Australia.
