Investigators Uncover 9/11-Style Plan Behind Flydubai Attack Arabian Post

(MENAFN- The Arabian Post) clearfix"> Investigators examining the cockpit attack aboard a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv believe the co-pilot intended to kill the captain and crash the aircraft into a target in Israel in an attack modelled on September 11, 2001.

A preliminary Israeli investigation has concluded that Hamam al-Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani national, planned to take control of Flight FZ1073 after incapacitating Captain Smit Machchhar and then deliberately strike a building in Tel Aviv or an aircraft at Ben Gurion International Airport. Investigators currently believe he acted alone, although inquiries into possible extremist links and his background are continuing.

The findings sharpen the focus on motive five days after the September 30 attack, while the UAE's formal investigation remains under way. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority has said its teams are examining the causes and circumstances, including operational and security aspects, and has cautioned against pre-empting its final findings.

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