Alleged Flydubai hijacker said 9/11 attacks spurred him to become a pilot, early investigation finds

The alleged Flydubai hijacker had planned to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv and was inspired by the 9/11 attacks, a preliminary investigation has found. Hamam al-Hammami, the suspect in the hijacking attempt and co-pilot on board last week’s flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, wanted to carry out a similar attack to September 11, 2001, which led him to pursue an aviation career, according to a statement from the United Arab Emirates’ Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi shared by Emirati state media. “The idea of carrying out a similar operation using an aircraft became...