ABU DHABI — UAE investigators say the Omani co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of a Flydubai flight planned to seize the aircraft and use it in a suicide attack on Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. The UAE’s Attorney-General says the suspect’s alleged extremist beliefs began to emerge while he was studying in Australia in 2017. Those claims come from an ongoing criminal investigation and have not been independently established in court.
What UAE Investigators Allege
The incident involved Flydubai flight FZ1073, scheduled to fly from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September. The UAE Attorney-General’s account says the co-pilot, then 29, attacked the captain in the cockpit with an emergency axe. A pilot assigned to the return flight, a cabin-crew member and passengers intervened; the aircraft was diverted and landed safely at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The captain was injured.
According to the UAE statement, investigators believe the suspect had used two earlier flights to Tel Aviv to learn about the route and airport, and that the 30 September flight was his third trip there. The Attorney-General says the suspect confessed, in the presence of a lawyer, to planning and carrying out the attack alone. Authorities say they are still checking for possible accomplices or other connections, so the claim that he acted alone is not yet a final finding.
The Alleged Australian Connection
The UAE says the first signs of the suspect’s “drift towards extremism and terrorism” appeared in 2017, while he was studying in Australia. Investigators allege that he encountered extremist material online and in reading, and that he later drew inspiration from the 11 September 2001 attacks. Those are allegations attributed to the UAE investigation; the public reporting reviewed does not provide independent confirmation of the suspect’s account or evidence establishing that Australia caused or enabled his radicalisation.
Australian authorities have separately confirmed an investigation into his links to the country. The Australian Federal Police said the inquiry involves the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, including Victoria Police and ASIO. Earlier reporting said he held a student visa, studied in Australia from 2015 to 2017, and that the visa was cancelled in 2019 after he was no longer enrolled; not on character grounds, according to ABC’s reporting. The Australian investigation is examining whether he was radicalised there; that question should not be treated as settled merely because the UAE has stated its investigative conclusion.
Employment and Recruitment questions
The UAE statement says the suspect worked for Oman Air from 2020 to 2024, spent several months with Royal Air Maroc in early 2025, and joined Flydubai in January 2026. It says Flydubai’s checks found that he met its stated professional and security requirements, including holding a pilot’s licence and providing a good-conduct certificate, and did not uncover indications of extremist views or a plot. These are findings reported by the UAE prosecution, not an independent audit of the airline’s recruitment process.
Earlier ABC reporting, citing officials and sources, said the co-pilot had reportedly been barred from flying for Oman Air because of concerns about extremist views. It also reported that Royal Air Maroc had provided a three-month theoretical training period in 2025 but did not select him for employment. The public accounts therefore leave important questions about what each employer knew, what information was shared across borders, and how the relevant checks were conducted.
What is confirmed and what remains unresolved
The available reporting as at October 11, 2026 supports several points: the flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia after an alleged cockpit assault; the captain was injured; Australian police are investigating the suspect’s Australian links; and UAE prosecutors have published a detailed account of their allegations and investigative findings.
But key claims including the precise motive, the alleged target, the suspect’s path to radicalisation, and whether anyone else was involved remain part of an active investigation. The suspect’s reported confession and the UAE’s account should therefore be attributed to investigators rather than presented as adjudicated facts.
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