DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (VINnews) — The United Arab Emirates confirmed Friday that a Flydubai co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack a flight to Israel had used two previous flights to familiarize himself with the route and Ben Gurion Airport before attempting to carry out a planned suicide attack.

The UAE attorney general’s statement provides new details about the Sept. 30 incident, which Israeli officials had previously described as an attempted hijacking in which the co-pilot appeared to try to crash the aircraft.

According to the UAE’s state news agency WAM, investigators found that the 29-year-old Omani national had taken two earlier flights to Tel Aviv to study the flight route and airport before allegedly attempting to seize control of the aircraft on his third flight.

UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said investigators believe the planned attack was inspired by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.

The co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with a crash axe while the aircraft was flying through Saudi Arabian airspace, causing the plane to plunge about 16,000 feet in 30 seconds. The suspect was eventually subdued, and two other pilots aboard the aircraft landed it safely in Saudi Arabia.

The investigation found that the suspect had met Flydubai’s professional and security requirements when he joined the airline in January 2026. Those checks did not reveal indications of extremist views or plans for a terrorist attack, al-Shamsi said.

Investigators traced signs of the suspect’s alleged radicalization to 2017, when he was studying in Australia. He also reportedly prepared for the attack by consuming extremist material and taking boxing lessons.

The UAE launched its criminal investigation on Oct. 1. Saudi Arabia has opened a separate aviation safety investigation into the incident.

Flydubai was not immediately available for comment, and the UAE attorney general’s statement did not indicate that the airline had been implicated in wrongdoing.