CO-PILOT PLANNED TO CRASH AIRCRAFT INTO PASSENGER TERMINAL

ABU DHABI, OCTOBER 9 /SRNA/ - A Flydubai co-pilot arrested in late September allegedly planned to crash an aircraft into a passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, UAE Attorney General Hamad Al Shamsi said today.

The prosecutor said the Omani co-pilot had flown to Tel Aviv twice as part of his preparations to familiarize himself with the route and the airport.

The arrested co-pilot told investigators that he had acted alone.

Al Shamsi said the first signs that the suspect was gravitating toward "extremism and terrorism" were noticed in 2017 while he was studying in Australia.

He was allegedly inspired by the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

"The idea of doing something similar with an aircraft became part of his thinking. According to his confession, this was linked to his decision to pursue a career in aviation," Al Shamsi said.

According to the investigation, the suspect, who had been working for Flydubai since January, had previously been employed by several airlines in a number of countries.

A Flydubai aircraft was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30 when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain in the cockpit with an emergency axe.

Despite suffering serious injuries, the captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and subdue the co-pilot.

Off-duty pilots who happened to be on board landed the aircraft in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where the suspect was arrested.