Washington : Hamam al-Hammami, the Omani co-pilot behind the September 30 terrorist attack aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, had planned to direct the airliner into Ben Gurion Airport, according to reports published on Sunday by The Times of Israel.
Channel 13 reported, as cited by The Times of Israel, that al-Hammami told investigators, “I looked into which airline flies to Tel Aviv. That’s why I chose flydubai. I planned it even before I was accepted.”
An earlier account published by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera indicated that al-Hammami intended to strike a skyscraper, drawing upon Israeli intelligence assessments, as reported by The Times of Israel.
According to that account, which outlined a chronological sequence of events, al-Hammami requested a prayer break at 9:15 am before launching an assault on the pilot using the flight deck’s crash hatchet, sparking a violent confrontation as Machchhar fought to unlock the door from within.
Around 9:20 am, Tali Manes accompanied her five-year-old child to the washroom area, where she began overhearing the altercation transpiring inside the cockpit.
She alerted an off-duty aviator seated within business class.
The off-duty captain manipulated the exterior handle as Machchhar managed to release the latch, opening the entryway to expose al-Hammami striking the pilot, the documentation stated.
“He’s killing the pilot,” Manes shouted.
Recognising that his initial objective was no longer viable, al-Hammami initiated a steep dive at 9:21 am targeting the desert floor, alongside efforts to fracture the guidance mechanisms to hinder any alternative attempts to stabilise the airframe, the overview noted.
Nevertheless, several Israeli passengers forced entry into the cockpit, overpowering the perpetrator and levelling the aircraft. Initially, off-duty aviators who intervened to pilot the transport broadcast the 7700 code, signifying a general emergency, at 9:31 am, according to the report.
By 9:35 am, al-Hammami had been subdued, and by 9:38 am, the replacement flight crew altered the transponder signal to the more specific 7500 designation, denoting unlawful cockpit intrusion, Corriere della Sera conveyed, in coverage highlighted by The Times of Israel.
Saudi air traffic management instructed the aviators to execute an unscheduled touchdown in Tabuk, with the commercial jet making contact with the runway at 10:57 am.
The transport carried approximately 180 passengers, predominantly Israeli nationals, alongside the flight crew.(ANI)
Omani co-pilot planned to crash into Israel airport or skyscraper
