Hamam al-Hammami (X)
Investigators concluded that his extremist views developed over a decade and that he took inspiration from al-Qaeda’s Sept. 11 attacks.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
An Omani Flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking the aircraft’s captain had planned to deliberately crash the Boeing 737 MAX in the Tel Aviv area in a suicide attack modeled on 9/11, United Arab Emirates Attorney General Dr. Hamad Al Shamsi said Friday.
Investigators said Hamam al-Hammami, 29, considered Ben Gurion International Airport and a tower block in central Tel Aviv as possible targets, with the intention of causing the greatest possible loss of life.
Most of the 173 passengers aboard the flight were Israeli nationals.
According to the state-run Emirates News Agency, Emirati Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said al-Hammami had previously flown the route twice to examine the airport and journey before the attack.
Investigators concluded that his extremist views developed over a decade and that he took inspiration from al-Qaeda’s Sept. 11 attacks.
Passengers said al-Hammami attacked Capt. Smit Machchhar with an ax while trying to take control of the aircraft and crash it.
Israeli passengers overpowered the co-pilot, and other pilots aboard the flight subsequently landed the aircraft in Saudi Arabia.
The investigation found no warning signs during the employment process that prevented al-Hammami from qualifying to fly for the state-owned airline.
He “met the professional and security employment requirements,” Shamsi said, “without any indications appearing during those procedures that reveal his extremist tendencies or his intention to carry out a terrorist plot.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that al-Hammami had undergone “Islamic radical indoctrination” and was “suicidal.” His spokesman, Doron Spielman, described the co-pilot as “radicalized.”
“He talks on his social media about killing Jews,” Spielman told The Washington Post. “So it’s very clear he had the intent and the motive to kill Jews before.”
Israeli authorities did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment.
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