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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Jason Burke in London and Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington

Flydubai co-pilot originally planned attack for July, investigators believe

A flydubai plane is parked in low light at Ben Gurion airport with the city of Tel Aviv in the background.
Israeli media have reported that the flydubai co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami planned to crash into Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv. Photograph: Ammar Awad/Reuters

Investigators believe that the co-pilot who tried to take control of a plane from Dubai to Tel Aviv last week originally planned his attack for July but postponed the hijacking, possibly because a friend was among the crew, regional and Israeli officials have said.

The evidence of prior planning suggests that Hamam al-Hammami, 29, may have specifically sought employment with an airline that flew to Israel in order to carry out the attack on last Wednesday’s flydubai ‌flight FZ1073, experts believe.

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