DOMINANT ANGLE
Brasília takes away from the Flydubai affair the flaw in hiring checks: a pilot with papers in order, with no detected signs of extremism, could have deliberately crashed a plane into Ben-Gourion.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, the co-pilot wanted to crash the plane into a terminal at Ben-Gurion Airport, inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks.
- 02
The suspect had made two previous flights to Tel Aviv to familiarize himself with the route and the airport, according to the WAM agency cited by Folha.
- 03
Pilot's license and certificate of good conduct in order: no checks revealed his extremist views, according to the prosecutor.
ANALYSIS
Brasília, October 10, 2026. The Brazilian press is reporting the accusation made by the Attorney General of the United Arab Emirates, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi: the co-pilot of the Flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv flight on September 30 intended to crash the plane into a terminal at Ben-Gurion Airport. G1 (Globo) writes that the plan aimed to "cause the greatest possible loss of life" and was inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks. Folha, citing the official WAM agency, specifies that the suspect, an Omani national, had made two previous flights to Tel Aviv to "become familiar with the flight route and the airport"; this is seen as the first confirmation by a public authority of a September 11-inspired attack.
The account of the attack takes center stage. In Saudi airspace, the co-pilot struck the commander with the axe from the cabin's emergency kit. According to Folha, the plane dropped nearly 5,000 meters in 30 seconds before the aggressor was subdued. G1 emphasizes the role of Indian commander Smit Machchhar, who, despite being injured, managed to open the cockpit door; passengers and crew helped to restrain the aggressor, and a off-duty pilot who was traveling on board took control of the plane before the emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. G1 reports that there were 174 passengers on board, mostly Israelis.
The issue of controls is raised in both articles. According to the prosecutor, the suspect held a pilot's license and a certificate of good conduct, and had passed the required checks; "none of the procedures revealed any indication of his extremist views or his intention to carry out a terrorist plan," G1 quotes. Folha notes that the statement does not attribute any irregularity to the airline, which has not commented on the statement. The man's background, radicalized during his studies in Australia by reading extremist content and following online content glorifying terrorist organizations, and having worked for Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, is presented as that of a profile that has passed through all the hiring filters.
G1 finally recalls that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had mentioned the previous week a radical "Islamist" indoctrination. The reactions from Abu Dhabi, Muscat, or Canberra are not developed in these articles.
