FlyDubai co-pilot intended to crash plane into Tel Aviv airport, UAE prosecutor says

A prosecutor in the UAE said Friday that the co-pilot who attacked a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv last month intended to take control of the aircraft and crash it into the passenger terminal at Israel’s main international airport. The Omani suspect, identified by the Associated Press as 29-year-old Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly acted alone and told investigators he wanted to cause the “greatest possible number of human casualties.” Authorities said he was inspired by the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and used two earlier flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv to familiarize himself with the route and airport. The attack on Sept. 30 unfolded over Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and the plane, after dropping roughly 14,000 to 16,000 feet, made an emergency landing at Tabuk.