A Specific Target and Two Earlier Flights
Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi’s account, carried by the official Emirates News Agency, WAM, identifies the terminal as the intended target. Prosecutors allege that the 29 year old copilot sought to cause extensive loss of life, with a plan inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks.
According to the statement, he used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to study the route and airport before attempting to execute the plan on his third flight there. It does not provide the dates, flight numbers or records of those earlier journeys. Their alleged reconnaissance purpose comes from the prosecution’s account.
How the Flight Was Diverted
WAM says the copilot attacked the captain with an emergency axe inside the cockpit of the aircraft flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30. The captain resisted and tried to raise the alarm, according to prosecutors.
A pilot assigned to the return flight was near the cockpit and noticed unusual movements of its door. The statement says he managed to enter, then intervened with help from a cabin crew member and passengers. The return flight captain and his copilot regained control and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.
This is the authorities’ reconstruction of the incident. The statement describes the captain’s injuries but does not supply a complete injury count for everyone aboard.
Evidence Described by Prosecutors
The prosecution says the suspect gave a detailed confession with his lawyer present. It also describes testimony from pilots and crew and a forensic assessment finding that the captain’s recent head injuries were consistent with an emergency axe.
Those are official descriptions of evidence, rather than publicly inspected exhibits. The announcement does not include a confession transcript, a complete medical report or a defense response. It describes an investigation in progress, without providing an indictment, trial date or court finding of guilt.
Investigators also examined hiring procedures. Al Shamsi said the copilot had satisfied professional and security requirements, including a pilot’s licence and good conduct certification, without those checks revealing the alleged extremist intentions. That finding concerns the procedures reviewed; it is not a guarantee about every aspect of airline security.
Connections Remain Under Investigation
The suspect claimed to have acted alone, prosecutors said, but they were still checking for possible partners or other connections and examining recordings and technical reports. His account of acting alone therefore remains under investigation, rather than an established conclusion that no one else was involved.
The October 9 WAM statement does not mention Iran. It neither substantiates earlier political speculation about an Iranian role nor announces that such a role has been ruled out.
The official release identifies the suspect by age and nationality, without naming him. Reuters reported the name Hammam al-Hammami through a person with direct knowledge, a separate attribution from the prosecutor’s statement. For the investigation, the central outstanding issue is whether the evidence supports the suspect’s account of preparing and acting without accomplices.
