The United Arab Emirates says a Flydubai co-pilot planned to hijack an aircraft and carry out a suicide attack targeting the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Axar.az reports, citing Gulf Today, that UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said an investigation found that the 29-year-old Omani national had planned the attack on flight FZ1073, which was scheduled to fly from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30.

"Investigations revealed that the suspect had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to familiarise himself with the flight route and the airport as part of his personal preparations for the alleged terrorist plot. He then began carrying it out during his third flight to Tel Aviv on 30 September 2026," he said.

Investigators said the suspect attacked the aircraft’s captain with an emergency axe inside the cockpit. A pilot assigned to the return flight, a cabin crew member and several passengers intervened, rescued the injured captain and restrained the suspect.

The other pilots regained control of the aircraft, diverted it and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

The UAE Attorney-General said the suspect had confessed to planning and carrying out the plot, claiming he acted alone. Investigators are continuing to examine the evidence and determine whether anyone else was involved.

The captain sustained head injuries, which a forensic medical report found were consistent with an assault involving an implement resembling an emergency axe.