Flydubai co-pilot plotted 9/11-style attack on Tel Aviv airport, UAE prosecutor says

An Omani flydubai co-pilot had planned to seize a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight and crash it into a terminal at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport on 30 September - before being thwarted by his fellow pilot, the UAE attorney general said on Friday, according to the state news agency WAM. UAE public prosecutors believe the plan was inspired by the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States. Their investigation, launched on 1 October, found the suspect had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to “familiarise himself with the flight route and the airport”, WAM reported. The co-pilot told investigators he acted alone, the attorney general said, adding that he had met all security requirements. The suspect had previously worked for several airlines in different countries, including Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, before joining flydubai in January 2026.