Flydubai co-pilot planned suicide attack on Ben Gurion airport, UAE says

The attack aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30 was an attempted suicide mission, according to UAE authorities. The co-pilot intended to seize the aircraft and crash it into a terminal at Israel's Ben Gurion airport, South China Morning Post reported.

The Omani co-pilot attacked the captain before colleagues and passengers subdued him, according to La Nacion. CBC News reported that he wielded an axe and intended to strike the airport's passenger terminal.

On October 9, the United Arab Emirates' top prosecutor described the alleged motive behind the cockpit attack. The co-pilot had drawn inspiration from the September 11 attacks, Franceinfo reported, and told investigators he had acted alone.

Investigators also described preparations before September 30. The 29-year-old had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to conduct reconnaissance of the route and airport, according to TGcom24. The Independent reported that authorities said he had watched material promoting terrorism and taken boxing lessons.

The findings raised questions about his history before joining the airline. Euronews reported on October 9 that he had previously been barred from flying in Oman over extremist views. Yet he met all the security requirements at hiring, the UAE prosecutor said, according to Le Monde.

On October 10, reporting focused on investigators' account of his time in Australia. The Guardian reported that prosecutors said he had become radicalised while studying there. On October 11, Sydney Morning Herald identified Melbourne as the city where that allegedly happened.

The account of the intended target and motive comes from a preliminary UAE investigation, as Mint and CNN Brasil reported. The suspect's statement that he acted alone is also part of the authorities' account, rather than an independently established finding.

The latest coverage also points to possible legal action by passengers. Indian Express reported on October 11 that passengers were planning a lawsuit following the cockpit attack.

A central open question is how the reported earlier restriction in Oman fits with the prosecutor's statement that the co-pilot met hiring security requirements. The accounts reported by Euronews and Le Monde do not explain that gap.

The planned passenger lawsuit is another development to follow. The supplied report from Indian Express describes plans for legal action, not a completed court outcome.