Report: Flydubai Co-Pilot Admitted Plot to Crash Plane in Israel

According to foreign media reports, the suspect was suspended from Oman Air in 2024 after being caught with extremist material and transferred to an administrative role.

The Omani co-pilot suspected of stabbing the captain on a flydubai flight admitted under interrogation that he intended to crash the plane in Israel, Dutch broadcaster NOS and German newspaper Handelsblatt reported, citing ABC News. According to United States intelligence and law enforcement sources, the suspect is cooperating with his interrogators.

The reports also revealed that in 2024, while training as a first officer at Oman Air, he was caught in possession of extremist material and flagged as a security risk. Following that discovery, he was suspended from flight duties but allowed to remain at the airline in an administrative role. How he was subsequently hired as an active pilot for flydubai remains unclear.