A plot to turn Flydubai flight FZ1073 into a 9/11-style attack, with the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv, was revealed today by the Israeli website Ynet, the online platform of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, citing a high-ranking source in the United Arab Emirates.
According to the report, the investigation in Abu Dhabi is now focused on the planning of the terrorist attack by the 29-year-old Omani co-pilot, Hamam al-Hamami.
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The source states that Al-Hamami did not merely plan to cause the Boeing to crash inside Israel, but to take full control of the aircraft and fly it into a tall building. “According to the available evidence,” writes Ynet, the target was the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv.
SEE ALSO: FlyDubai Case: Was the Omani Perpetrator an Al-Qaeda Admirer?
This specific information, however, has not yet been included in the official statements from the Emirates, which have nevertheless confirmed that this was a premeditated attempted terrorist attack.
According to Ynet, the co-pilot had planned the operation in detail: he initially planned to neutralize the Indian pilot, take his place, and steer the aircraft toward the target.
Al-Hamami had been working for FlyDubai for eight months and had made dozens of flights to Israel during that time. His most recent visit to the country was just a few days before the incident.
SEE ALSO: FlyDubai co-pilot attacked the pilot with an emergency axe
This incident points to a major security lapse since, with the exception of pilots from the UAE, Arab pilots of other nationalities in the region are prohibited from flying to Israel.
The report also states that Mossad officials and Israeli aviation experts, who traveled secretly to Abu Dhabi, as well as intelligence officials from Saudi Arabia and Oman and U.S. officials.
The same Emirati source claims that, once the investigation is complete, Al-Hamami is expected to face the death penalty.
Source: KYPE
