UAE Public Prosecutor: FlyDubai Flight Investigation Reveals Lone Wolf Terror Plot

UAE Public Prosecutor Hamad Saif Al Shamsi announced that "the investigations being conducted by the Public Prosecution regarding the incident of FlyDubai flight number (FZ1073), which was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026, revealed that the first officer, an Omani national, had begun executing a premeditated plan with a terrorist purpose aimed at seizing control of the aircraft and using it in a suicide operation targeting the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, intending to cause the maximum possible human casualties."

He clarified, as reported by the Emirates News Agency, that "the investigations traced the intellectual and professional path of the accused, aged (29), and found that signs of his shift towards extremism and terrorism began in 2017 during his studies in Australia, where he was influenced by takfiri ideas through reading extremist literature and following online content glorifying terrorist organizations and suicide operations."

Al Shamsi said: "This influence evolved into him adopting ideas inciting violence and terrorism, drawing inspiration from the attacks of September 11, 2001, and solidifying the idea of carrying out a similar operation using an aircraft, which, according to his confessions, was linked to his decision to pursue a career in aviation."

He added that "the suspect moved between several airlines in different countries throughout his professional career, working for Oman Air from 2020 to 2024, then joining Royal Air Maroc in early 2025 and working there for several months, before transferring to FlyDubai in January 2026."

According to the UAE Public Prosecutor, the "suspect admitted that during his studies in the Australian city of Melbourne, he frequented a mosque affiliated with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), and met the managers of the 'My Center' through his visits to the mosque, noting that the center was run by a Lebanese individual known as 'Abu Hamza', who, according to his statements, received support from an association linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. He stated that he psychologically and physically prepared himself to execute his plan by intensifying his consumption of materials inciting terrorism and training in boxing with a private coach."

The investigations showed that "the suspect exploited his participation in two previous flights to Tel Aviv to scout the route and the airport, as part of his personal preparation for his terrorist plot, before beginning its execution during the third flight on September 30, 2026."

The investigations also included examining the procedures for the suspect's recruitment by FlyDubai, revealing that he "met all professional and security employment requirements, including his pilot license, good conduct certificate, and necessary medical checks, without any indicators emerging during those procedures that revealed his extremist tendencies or intention to carry out a terrorist plot," according to the UAE Public Prosecutor.

The UAE Public Prosecutor said: "On the day of the incident, the suspect ambushed the captain inside the cockpit and attacked him with an emergency axe, while the captain resisted the attack and attempted to call for help. The return flight captain was on board the aircraft and happened to be near the cockpit at the time of the attack; he noticed the door opening and closing repeatedly in an unusual manner, which aroused his suspicion. He approached the cockpit and attempted to enter using the secret code until he succeeded, witnessing the suspect attacking the captain. Immediately, he intervened with the help of a cabin crew member and several passengers, managing to rescue the injured captain and subdue the suspect. Meanwhile, the return flight captain and his first officer regained control of the aircraft, diverted its course, and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

He noted that "the suspect, in the presence of his lawyer and with all legal guarantees provided for him, gave a detailed confession regarding his motives and stages of planning and execution, admitting that he acted alone without the involvement of others, while investigations continue to verify this."

He further noted that "the Public Prosecution heard the testimonies of the aircraft captain, the return flight pilot, his first officer, and crew members. The forensic report confirmed that the captain's injuries were concentrated in the head, a vital and lethal area, and that they were recent and contemporaneous with the incident, resulting from an assault with a tool consistent in nature with the emergency axe, aligning with the statements of the suspect, the captain, and witness testimonies. The Public Prosecution continues to examine evidence and verify the existence of accomplices or other connections, completing technical recordings and reports, and will announce any new findings as required by the interest of the investigation."