Flydubai co-pilot originally planned attack for July, investigators believe

Police and security agencies in multiple countries scramble to piece together background and intentions of Hamam al-Hammami

Investigators believe that the co-pilot who tried to take control of a plane from Dubai to Tel Aviv last week originally planned his attack for July but postponed the hijacking, possibly because a friend was among the crew, regional and Israeli officials have said.

The evidence of prior planning suggests that Hamam al-Hammami, 29, may have specifically sought employment with an airline that flew to Israel in order to carry out the attack on last Wednesday’s flydubai ‌flight FZ1073, experts believe.