Hamam al-Hammami, identified as the first officer on flydubai flight FZ 1073, confessed to investigators his plan to "eliminate" the captain and then continue flying normally to avoid alerting authorities, The Times of Israel reported on 4/10, citing informed sources.

According to the plan, he intended to "crash the plane into a building or an aircraft at Ben Gurion airport." By waiting until the last minute, the flydubai first officer aimed to limit the risk of the plot being exposed, prevent those on board from raising an alarm, and make it harder to intercept.

Hamam al-Hammami's LinkedIn profile (left) and the subdued first officer on the flydubai plane. *Times of Israel*.

Ben Gurion, located east of Tel Aviv, is one of Israel's largest and busiest airports, as well as one of the country's most heavily guarded sites. In addition to civilian aircraft, it hosts several US-deployed refueling planes in the Middle East.

Sources indicate this was why the suspect waited for the plane to enter Jordanian airspace before attempting to seize control of the cockpit. However, the plot failed because Captain Smit Machchhar "fought fiercely" to regain control of the aircraft and managed to open the cockpit door for passengers to intervene.

The first officer had traveled to Ben Gurion airport multiple times in recent months on flydubai flights. He told investigators that during a trip in June, he "focused entirely" on gathering information and planning the attack.

The attack was planned for July, but the suspect canceled it at the last minute because he knew a crew member on that flight.

A plane taking off from Ben Gurion airport, Israel, on 30/9. *FLASH90*.

Israeli investigators have not directly questioned the suspect. Information transferred to Israel is based on investigations conducted by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Israel has reportedly asked the UAE to extend the scope of questioning to include flight attendants.

By Ngoc Anh (According to The Times of Israel, AFP)