An ongoing investigation into a midair attack aboard a FlyDubai flight has concluded that the co-pilot who attempted to seize control of the aircraft intended to crash it into Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport, according to information provided to NPR by a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly.
The revelation adds a significant new dimension to an incident that began as a report of a violent altercation in the cockpit and has now shifted toward an assessment of attempted mass casualty terrorism targeting one of Israel's most heavily secured aviation hubs.
The flight, operated by the Dubai-based carrier FlyDubai, was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv and was scheduled to land at Ben Gurion during the midmorning hours on a busy weekday. At the time of the attack, the aircraft was approaching its destination, meaning any loss of control would have occurred in crowded airspace near a major population center.
According to the account provided to NPR, the co-pilot attacked the flight's captain midflight using an axe, then attempted to take command of the plane. The captain was the target of the assault, and the co-pilot's apparent objective was to gain sole control of the aircraft while it was still airborne.
The investigation's conclusion that the attacker meant to steer the plane into Ben Gurion Airport represents a substantial escalation in the understanding of the episode. Rather than a case of an in-flight disturbance or a breakdown in crew discipline, authorities now appear to be treating the event as a deliberate attempt to convert a commercial passenger jet into a weapon aimed at a strategic Israeli target.
The midmorning timing described by the source is notable. Ben Gurion handles a high volume of departures and arrivals during weekday morning hours, and the airport sits near the city of Lod, in a densely populated section of central Israel. An aircraft crashing into the facility or its immediate surroundings could have caused casualties on the ground in addition to those aboard the flight.
The plane was ultimately diverted to Saudi Arabia following the violent confrontation in the cockpit. A photograph from the scene showed a passenger raising his arms in relief as he walked through domestic arrivals doors with his dog and luggage at Ben Gurion Airport on September 30, 2026, in Tzafria, Israel, reflecting the disruption and anxiety experienced by travelers caught up in the aftermath.
Separately, an image dated October 2, 2026, showed an Israeli airline El Al aircraft parked on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport near Lod, underscoring that normal commercial operations at the airport continued in the days after the attack even as investigators worked to piece together what had happened.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear, according to the reporting. While investigators have reached a conclusion about the attacker's intended target, the underlying reasons for the assault have not been publicly established, leaving open questions about whether the co-pilot acted alone, was influenced by an organization, or was driven by personal factors.
The fact that the intended destination was Ben Gurion Airport carries particular weight in Israel's security calculus. The airport is the country's primary international gateway and has long been regarded as a symbolically and strategically significant target. Security at the facility is multilayered, and aircraft approaching Israeli airspace are subject to strict protocols designed to prevent exactly the kind of scenario now described by investigators.
For FlyDubai, the incident raises difficult questions about crew vetting, cockpit security, and the procedures that govern access to flight controls. The carrier, based in the United Arab Emirates, operates a large network of routes across the Middle East and beyond, and its flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv form part of a broader set of commercial ties that have expanded in recent years.
The involvement of Saudi Arabia as the diversion point also adds a diplomatic dimension to the case. The decision to divert the aircraft there rather than to another location reflects the practical imperatives of an in-flight emergency, but it also places the investigation within a regional context in which multiple governments may have an interest in the outcome.
The captain's condition and the precise sequence of events inside the cockpit have not been fully detailed in the source account. What is clear is that the confrontation was physical and violent, involving a weapon capable of inflicting serious harm, and that it unfolded while the aircraft was in flight with passengers aboard.
Investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the attack, and the finding that the co-pilot intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport is described as part of an ongoing inquiry rather than a final, publicly released determination. Authorities have not yet offered a comprehensive public statement outlining the evidence behind that conclusion.
The episode is likely to intensify scrutiny of cockpit access rules and crew monitoring practices across the aviation industry, particularly on routes serving high-profile destinations. It also underscores the difficulty of anticipating attacks that originate from within a flight crew, a category of threat that security systems designed to keep weapons and unauthorized individuals off aircraft are not structured to address.
For travelers and for the aviation industry more broadly, the case serves as a reminder that the most serious in-flight threats can emerge from the people entrusted with operating the aircraft. As the investigation proceeds, the central unresolved question remains not what the attacker intended, but why.
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