Hamam Al-Hammami, the copilot who attempted to hijack a Flydubai passenger plane bound for Israel, also plotted an attack in July, the Wall Street Journal reported on the 8th (local time).

According to the report, Al-Hammami, an Omani national, was barred from flying at his previous employer, Oman Air, over suspicions of radicalization. He subsequently tried to join Royal Air Maroc, a Moroccan airline, but was rejected.

Al-Hammami then searched for an airline operating routes to Israel and joined the United Arab Emirates low-cost carrier Flydubai in February, reportedly working to secure assignments on the route between Dubai and Tel Aviv.

Investigators stated that Al-Hammami had planned to overpower the captain and crash the aircraft into a target such as Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, and prepared to execute the plan in July, but hesitated because he cared for one of the flight attendants on board at the time.

Previously, the British daily The Guardian also reported on the 5th that Al-Hammami attempted to hijack a plane in July but gave up because a friend was on board.

Al-Hammami is known to have stated that he attempted the crime due to the situation in the Gaza Strip.

Omani authorities investigated Al-Hammami's online activity and found he had an excessive interest in extremist ideologies, moving him to a desk job and enrolling him in a de-radicalization program, but did not share this information externally.

Israeli authorities also received passenger and crew lists in advance from Flydubai but failed to screen Al-Hammami.

Because Israel prohibits pilots from countries that do not have diplomatic relations, such as Oman, from entering, Al-Hammami was not qualified to operate the Tel Aviv route under Israeli regulations.

The Wall Street Journal pointed out that Israel's Ministry of Transportation, which is responsible for security on foreign airline flights to Israel, determined on its own that it had no responsibility to vet passengers and crew, and failed to verify the passenger manifests because it did not even know it had access to the relevant data.

An official said, "Since early this year, more than 1,200 crew members from countries banned from operating routes to Israel, such as Syria, Lebanon, and Oman, have entered Israel."

On September 30, aboard a Flydubai passenger plane departing from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and heading to Tel Aviv, Israel, Al-Hammami suddenly attacked the captain with an emergency axe and attempted to seize control of the cockpit before being subdued by crew members and passengers, ending the attempt as an abortive crime.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)