Flydubai Cockpit Attack: Was Ben Gurion Targeted? What Trump Said, Vance On Iran Link | Today’s news
The Sept. 30 cockpit attack on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv has raised further questions about the incident after investigators are said to be looking into whether the Omani co-pilot deliberately sought employment with an airline operating flights to Israel as part of a possible plan to target Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
Reuters reported that interrogation of Hamam al-Hammami showed that he planned to crash Flydubai flight FZ1073 into Ben Gurion Airport.
Investigators cited in the report also found that he allegedly considered crashing another plane to Tel Aviv earlier this year, but ultimately abandoned the plan.
The revelation raised new questions about how al-Hammami was able to secure a job as a commercial airline pilot and whether his alleged plans were known or revealed during the recruitment and vetting process.
Experts quoted by The Guardian said evidence of prior planning could suggest al-Hammami may have specifically sought employment with an airline flying to Israel.
Donald Trump believes Iran is behind the attack
US President Donald Trump said Monday that he personally believes Iran is responsible for the Sept. 30 Flydubai incident, according to the AP.
Asked if he believed Iran was behind the attack, Trump said: “I do.
Trump’s remarks came even though investigators have not publicly established a conclusive link between Iran and the incident.
JD Vance is cautious about the Iran connection
US Vice President JD Vance struck a more cautious note when asked about possible Iranian involvement.
Vance said there was “nothing conclusive” linking Iran to the incident and said he would defer to CIA Director John Ratcliffe and U.S. intelligence officials, the AP reported.
“That’s something I’m presenting to John Ratcliffe and some of the intelligence people,” Vance told reporters while en route to Alaska. “I don’t want to get ahead of any announcements, but it’s definitely something we’re looking at. But I wouldn’t say I’ve seen anything conclusive yet.”
A UAE investigation called it a suspected terrorist attack
On October 3, the UAE Attorney General and Prosecutor General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said that a preliminary investigation showed that al-Hammami had attempted to carry out a terrorist attack.
“The investigation into the flydubai flight FZ1073 incident has determined that the co-pilot attempted a terrorist attack,” he said, adding that authorities were working to establish “the full circumstances, motives and any links”.
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The investigation therefore examines not only the attack itself, but also the possible motive of the second pilot and whether he had any external ties.
The co-pilot attacks the captain inside the cockpit
According to reports, al-Hammami allegedly used an emergency ax stored in the cockpit to attack Indian captain Smit Machchhar.
The attack took place about two hours and 20 minutes after the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight took off.
The plane was carrying more than 180 passengers, most of them Israelis, along with crew members.
Machchhar was attacked and injured, forcing the aircraft to divert to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing.
The incident has since been treated as a suspected “terrorist attack” by authorities in the region.
Citing US officials briefed on the investigation, NBC News said investigators believe al-Hammami acted alone rather than as part of a larger organization.
Read also | The co-pilot of the FlyDubai incident has been identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami
However, the report stressed that the investigation is still in its early stages.
(With inputs from Reuters, AP)
