Shin Bet joins UAE questioning of flydubai copilot accused of crash attempt

Interrogators from the Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security agency, have travelled to the United Arab Emirates and are taking part in the questioning of the flydubai copilot accused of trying to crash a passenger jet last week, according to Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel Fabian. The suspect has been named as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, and the flight he was working on, FZ1073, was carrying passengers who were almost all Israeli.

Ynet reported that the copilot planned to bring the aircraft down at Ben Gurion airport or another location in Israel, and that if this failed he intended to crash it at an American base in Jordan. The same report said he had visited Syria and other states hostile to Israel in recent years, and that while investigators are examining whether any organisation recruited him, the leading assessment is that he acted alone.

What the suspect is reported to have said

Several Israeli outlets reported that the copilot has given a revenge motive. Commentator Amit Segal, writing on the N12 news channel, said the suspect admitted acting as revenge for events in Gaza. The Times of Israel, citing Channel 12, reported that he told interrogators he acted "in revenge for Gaza" and that "I wanted to die as a martyr." The Times of Israel noted that Channel 12 did not give a source for these statements, so they remain attributed to that network's reporting rather than to an official account.

A second target in Jordan

News.co.il, in a post crediting reporter Lee Ayish, identified the fallback target as the Muwaffaq Salti air base, which the US military uses in Jordan. Jordan borders Israel to the east. Ynet described the same contingency in general terms as an American base in Jordan, without naming the facility.

Visits to hostile countries

The reports agree that the suspect travelled to countries hostile to Israel in the years before the incident, though they differ in detail. Ynet named Syria and said there were other enemy states as well. News.co.il described the trips as hurried visits and said the defence establishment is checking whether someone directed him during them. The Times of Israel, citing Channel 12 and two sources, reported that a Mossad official briefed Israeli cabinet ministers the day before on brief visits by the suspect to several countries. The Mossad is Israel's foreign intelligence service, separate from the Shin Bet, which handles internal security and counterterrorism.

The rest of the crew

According to the Times of Israel's account of the Channel 12 report, Israel does not believe any other member of the aircrew was involved. Investigators in the Emirates questioned the crew at Israel's request after some passengers described behaviour by other crew members that they found strange. The crew members said they had been shocked and shaken by what unfolded, the investigators concluded they had no part in it, and Israel shares that conclusion.

Background to the incident

The attack took place last Wednesday on a flydubai service bound for Israel from the Emirates. The copilot is reported to have attacked the pilot and tried to crash the aircraft. A photo caption published by The Jerusalem Post says the plane was diverted to Saudi Arabia after an emergency signal, and that an aircraft carrying its passengers later arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport, in Lod near Tel Aviv, on September 30, 2026. The Jerusalem Post described the Shin Bet's part in the questioning as an active role and referred to the suspect as a hijacker.

The presence of Israeli security personnel at an interrogation on Emirati soil reflects the working relationship the two countries have built since they established formal ties under the Abraham Accords. Israeli reporting so far presents the questioning as a joint effort, with the Emirati investigators also conducting the crew interviews.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports specifies how many Shin Bet personnel travelled, how long they will remain, or what formal arrangement governs their participation. The countries the suspect visited, beyond Syria, are not named, and the reports do not say when the trips occurred. No official Israeli or Emirati statement is quoted on the suspect's motive; the quoted remarks come from Channel 12 and N12 reporting. The reports do not describe any charges, the legal process the suspect faces, or whether the Jordanian or US authorities have commented on the reported fallback target. The lone attacker assessment is described as a leading assessment, not a final finding.