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The United Arab Emirates attorney general, Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, said an Omani co-pilot confessed to planning a suicide attack inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks, according to the state news agency WAM. The suspect allegedly tried to seize control of Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30 to strike the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport and cause as many deaths as possible.

Al-Shamsi said investigators found the first signs of the 29-year-old's radicalization emerged during training in Australia in 2017, when he began reading extremist material and online content glorifying terrorist groups and suicide attacks. The suspect told prosecutors he developed the idea of carrying out a plane attack after being influenced by 9/11 and chose piloting as a profession for that reason. He worked at Oman Air from 2020 to 2024, briefly at Royal Air Maroc in early 2025, and joined Flydubai in January 2026 after passing licensing and background checks that revealed no warning signs.

The suspect allegedly conducted reconnaissance on two earlier Tel Aviv flights before attempting the plan on a third. He admitted acting alone, but al-Shamsi said that claim remains under verification. Forensic findings supported the accounts of the suspect, the captain and witnesses, indicating the captain's head injuries were caused by a tool consistent with an emergency axe. Prosecutors are still examining evidence and possible accomplices.

Key Takeaways

• UAE attorney general says the Omani co-pilot confessed to planning an attack inspired by 9/11, aiming to crash the Flydubai plane into Ben Gurion Airport's terminal.
• Investigators say radicalization signs began in 2017 and that the suspect conducted reconnaissance on two earlier Tel Aviv flights before the September 30 attempt.
• The suspect admitted acting alone, but prosecutors say verification is ongoing as evidence and possible links are still being examined.