Co-pilot thwarted in plot to crash plane into Israel airport
An Omani co-pilot tried to crash a Flydubai flight into Tel Aviv airport on September 30. He was stopped.
The co-pilot attacked captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe. The aircraft was over Saudi airspace.
The flight was going from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Bloodied and beaten, Machchhar opened the cockpit door and alerted the crew.
The plane dropped 4900 metres in 30 seconds. Two other pilots on board regained control and landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
The UAE attorney general says the co-pilot was likely radicalised at a mosque in Australia. He was studying at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 2017.
Prosecutors say the attack was inspired by the September 11 attacks on the US. The co-pilot had taken two previous flights to Tel Aviv.
He did this to learn the route and airport. He told investigators he prepared by watching extremist material and taking boxing lessons.
- September 30, 2026
- Attack date
- 4900 metres in 30 seconds
- Altitude loss
- Dubai to Tel Aviv
- Route
- Mosque in Australia, 2017
- Radicalisation location
Why it mattersA radical attack on a commercial flight exposes gaps in airline security screening. It shows how radicalism can grow during overseas study.
AustraliaAn Australian mosque connection to an attempted aviation attack raises questions about extremism recruitment and vetting of people studying or working in Australia.
Corroborated bythenightly.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 3 h ago
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