DubaiProsecutors say co-pilot studied Tel Aviv on 2 flights.
The UAE attorney general says he meant to crash flight FZ1073 into Ben Gurion airport’s terminal.
The co-pilot stabbed captain Smit Machchhar on 30 September, and 2 reserve pilots landed the jet in Tabuk.
Flydubai’s hiring checks, including a certificate of good conduct, showed no sign of extremist views, the statement said.
No court has yet tested the prosecutors’ account, which rests on the suspect’s own confession.
How each outlet framed it
drawn from 200+ reports worldwide
- Al Jazeera Online leans critical
- cites the 9/11 inspiration in prosecutors' theory and the suspect's two rehearsal flights to Tel Aviv
- Bloomberg Business leans critical
- TRT World leans critical
- stresses the co-pilot was thwarted by a fellow pilot and the 16,000-foot plunge in 30 seconds
Sources: Al Jazeera Online, Bloomberg Business, TRT World