Reuters: flydubai Copilot Planned Attack Before Hiring, Israeli Officials Say

DUBAI — The Copilot accused in the FZ1073 attack planned it before joining flydubai (FZ), Reuters reported on October 5, citing two Israeli officials familiar with the inquiry. They said he told UAE interrogators he sought the job after searching for airlines serving Tel Aviv.

The UAE attorney-general’s October 3 statement does not address pre-hiring intent. At the time of its October 5 report, Reuters said UAE authorities and flydubai had not responded to requests for comment or publicly identified the suspect, and the UAE had not announced formal charges.

A separate anonymous source briefed on the UAE inquiry told Reuters he had intended to hijack and crash an earlier Tel Aviv flight this year but abandoned the plan. The reason was unclear.

The new allegation concerns when the intent developed. In an October 3 statement describing an attempted terrorist act, UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the Copilot attacked the Captain with a crash axe and tried to seize the controls. He said investigators were still examining motives, possible links, and physical and digital evidence. Final results would follow the completion of the procedures.

Flight FZ1073 departed Dubai International Airport (DXB) for Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) on September 30. flydubai said crew traveling aboard secured the aircraft and landed it safely at Tabuk Airport (TUU), Saudi Arabia.

Recruitment and route assignment

Royal Air Maroc (AT) said the man completed three months of theoretical training in 2025 but was not hired, Reuters reported. Its denial of an employment relationship, reported by Anadolu, also said he had never served as a crew member or performed professional duties for the airline. The Reuters account gives no reason for the rejection. A rejected application alone does not establish a security concern.

If substantiated, pre-hiring intent would make the information available during recruitment central to understanding how the suspect gained operational access. It would still be necessary to establish whether any warning was reasonably discoverable, who held it and what the airline or authorities could have done.

The Associated Press reported Israel's stated restrictions on pilots from countries without diplomatic ties. AP identified the suspect as Omani through anonymous sources and noted that Israel and Oman have no formal diplomatic relations. That reporting does not establish the precise rule applicable to FZ1073 or the approvals behind his assignment.

Reuters also reported that New Zealand police were examining time he spent there and an Australian counterterrorism team was investigating his Australian links. The report mentions earlier RMIT University enrollment; it does not establish any connection between his studies and the alleged plot.

Airways' earlier analysis of cockpit insider threats examined recruitment, continuing assessments and operational assignment. The latest reporting adds an alleged pre-employment timeline to those questions.