Did it to avenge Gaza: Omani co-pilot spills motive behind flydubai attack

Omani pilot Hamam al-Hammami reportedly told investigators that he carried out the violent attack to avenge Gaza and die a martyr. Authorities are now examining his phone, foreign travel and contacts to determine whether he acted alone.

In Short

• Hamam al-Hammami said he wanted to die as a martyr, per Israeli media report
• He earlier confessed to planning to crash flydubai plane into a building in Israel
• Investigators in UAE and Israel are examining his phone and background details

The Omani co-pilot who attacked the captain of a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv and attempted to crash the aircraft reportedly told investigators he carried out the attack to avenge Gaza, according to Israeli online news portal Mako.

"I did this as revenge for Gaza. I wanted to die as a martyr," Hamam al-Hammami allegedly told Emirati investigators during questioning.

The purported confession comes amid reports that al-Hammami was removed from Oman’s national airline last year over concerns about his extremist views. CNN reported that social media accounts in his name later posted cockpit videos of Israeli planes and featured Al-Qaida figures. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously said the co-pilot was believed to have undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination".

CONFESSION TO TERROR ATTACK

More than 170 passengers, mostly Israelis, were aboard flydubai Flight 1073 on September 30 when al-Hammami attacked Captain Smit Machchhar less than an hour before the flight was due to land. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft plunged more than 17,000 feet in a matter of seconds.

Capt Machchhar fought off the attack and managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers to see what was happening and intervene. The passengers helped take down al-Hammami, while off-duty pilots onboard took over the flight controls, thereby averting a catastrophic crash.

The United Arab Emirates, which is leading the investigation into the flydubai incident, said the co-pilot attacked the captain with the cockpit's crash axe and tried to take control of the aircraft in a "terrorist attack."

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that al-Hammami had planned to secretly kill Capt Machchhar, shut down the aircraft's engines and crash the plane into a building in Tel Aviv.

Israeli media also reported that al-Hammami had considered carrying out the attack in July but abandoned the plan at the last moment because he was friends with a member of the crew.

NEXT PHASE OF PROBE

According to the Mako report, authorities in the UAE have questioned the cabin crew aboard the flight. Emirati investigators have ruled out their involvement in the plot, saying the flight attendants were confused by the unfolding attack but did not assist the co-pilot in his attempt to hijack the aircraft.

Al-Hammami has indicated that he acted alone, although Israeli authorities are examining whether he was directed or recruited by another party. Investigators have so far found no evidence of known ties between him and Iran, per reports.

Investigators are now examining the contents of al-Hammami's phone for information about his background and intentions. The device could also provide clues about whether anyone else was involved in the terror plot.

Shin Bet, Israel’s counterintelligence agency, is participating in the investigation and questioning of al-Hammami as authorities seek to establish whether he acted alone.

At an Israeli cabinet meeting on Sunday, a Mossad representative briefed ministers on the probe. According to two sources who attended the meeting, the representative said investigators had discovered that al-Hammami had visited several countries hostile to Israel in recent years.

- Ends