US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the incident a terrorist act and said no foreign ties were known yet. Israeli journalist Amit Segal previously reported that al-Hammami told investigators he planned to follow a normal landing approach to Ben Gurion Airport and crash into its terminal in the final seconds, leaving too little time for interception.
UAE prosecutors said the co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with the cockpit’s emergency crash axe in an attempted terrorist operation. Machchhar said he opened the cockpit door once before the attacker shut it, then fought his way back and opened it again, allowing passengers and crew to intervene. Additional pilots aboard landed the aircraft safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Flydubai has suspended Tel Aviv service until further notice.