DOMINANT ANGLE
New Delhi is holding onto the Emirati judicial file: the co-pilot's confessions, premeditation and inspiration from September 11, presented as preliminary conclusions from the prosecution.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi claims the 29-year-old co-pilot wanted to carry out a suicide attack on Ben-Gourion's passenger terminal.
- 02
The suspect allegedly made two previous flights to Tel Aviv to familiarize himself with the route and the airport (Times of India, Deccan Chronicle).
- 03
According to Deccan Chronicle, the plane dropped 16,000 feet in 30 seconds; the suspect had worked at Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc before joining Flydubai in January 2026.
ANALYSIS
New Delhi, October 10, 2026. The Indian press is reporting on the preliminary findings of the Emirati prosecutor's office regarding the Flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv flight of September 30, based on a statement from Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, released by Emirati state media. According to this text, published on Friday, October 9, the 29-year-old Omani co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, was preparing a "premeditated terrorist plot" aimed at taking control of the aircraft to carry out a suicide attack on the passenger terminal at Ben-Gurion Airport, "with the goal of causing the maximum number of casualties possible."
The Times of India emphasizes the connection to the September 11, 2001, attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people 25 years ago. The newspaper quotes the prosecutor's office: the idea of a similar operation with an airplane "had become firmly rooted in his mind," which, according to his confessions, was linked to his decision to pursue a career in aviation. The daily also recalls that, according to an Israeli source and another informed source cited by CNN, the suspect was allegedly linked to an extremist movement, a point that the article develops beyond the sole elements of the statement.
The Deccan Chronicle, in a briefer dispatch, highlights the factual sequence of events: the investigation opened on October 1, the two previous flights to Tel Aviv serving to "familiarize himself with the route and the airport," and the plane's drop of 16,000 feet in 30 seconds before the attack was foiled by the other pilot. The text notes that the suspect had worked for several airlines, including Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, before joining Flydubai in January 2026.
The Indian coverage remains focused on the content of the Emirati judicial investigation: confessions, premeditation, chronology. The two articles provided do not address the diplomatic implications for the Abraham Accords, nor the reactions of New Delhi, nor the situation of the Indian flight commander; these elements are not mentioned in the available texts. The narrative remains that of a still-open case, where the conclusions are presented as preliminary and are based on the prosecutor's version.
