Flydubai co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami 'dreamed of crashing plane into Tel Aviv's main airport'

Flydubai co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami 'dreamed of crashing plane into Tel Aviv's main airport' Co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami told detectives it was his 'dream' to crash a plane into Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, intelligence sources revealed as further lapses in vetting came to light A co-pilot who attempted to crash a plane and kill 182 passengers on board had 'dreamt' of carrying out an attack on Tel Aviv, according to new intelligence. Hamam al-Hammami is accused of attacking the captain of the Israel-bound Flydubai flight FZ1073 with an axe in attempt to hijack the aircraft and launch a terror attack. After pulling the plane into a terrifying 14,000ft nosedive, the 29-year-old Omani national was stopped by passengers, who rushed in to the cockpit and subdued him. An emergency landing was made in Saudi Arabia, and Hammami is currently being held for questioning in the UAE, where the plane was registered. Now, it is being claimed that the co-pilot has revealed during interrogation he plotted the attack for months in advance - even to the point of choosing which airline to work for, based on whether their routes fly over Israel. A transcript of the interview given to the Jerusalem Post by an Israeli intelligence source read: "I tried to get hired by all the airlines. I planned the operation even before I was accepted by the company. The dream was to crash into Ben Gurion Airport." Hammami admitted using routine flights through the region and visits to the airport to familiarise himself with the target, the report added. He is said to have initially planned to carry out the hijacking and deliberate crash landing in July, but abandoned his plans after discovering a crew member he was friends with was on board. The close call has sparked comparisons with the September 11 attacks - and ignited a political row over whether the co-pilot could have been stopped sooner. On Sunday, authorities in the United Arab Emirates claimed they had shared a list of passengers and crew with Israel ahead of the FlyDubai flight, naming Hammami. Officials had previously said the Omani co-pilot had been barred from flying by his own country because of concerns about his extremist views. Flight staff from Oman are usually banned from entering Israel, as the two countries have no formal diplomatic relations - something which critics say should have been picked up by Israeli authorities before take-off. The Shin Bet security agenc claimed in the days after the hijacking that Israel's Transport ministry was responsible for vetting passenger and crew lists from foreign flights. Transport minister Miri Regev rejected this in a post on social media, and said her department had not received a list or any warnings. Over the weekend, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had told the head of the National Security Council to appoint an examiner to review "all security aspects regarding foreign civil aviation to Israel." It comes amid a tight parliamentary election campaign in Israel, in which Netanyahu is battling to hold on to power. Ofer Winter, chairman of the new right-wing Amcha Yisrael party and a former senior IDF commander, said yesterday: "Just as on October 7th, it was heroic citizens who saved the day this time as well. Once again, it is citizens who are taking responsibility and are willing to sacrifice themselves."