The United Arab Emirates has released further details about an alleged terrorist plot involving an Omani co-pilot who prosecutors say attempted to seize control of a passenger aircraft and crash it into Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in a suicide attack.

UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the investigation found that the suspect’s shift towards extremism began in 2017 while he was studying in Melbourne, Australia. According to the prosecutors’ account, he was influenced by extremist publications and online material that glorified terrorist organisations and suicide attacks.

The alleged plot came to light following an incident on September 30 involving Flydubai flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Prosecutors said the co-pilot attacked the captain with an emergency crash axe while the aircraft was over Saudi Arabia, causing the plane to plunge sharply before the crew and passengers intervened.

The aircraft was eventually landed safely at Tabuk Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia. The suspect was subsequently transferred to the UAE, where the investigation continued.

According to the UAE prosecutor general, the suspect told investigators that he had been inspired by the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Prosecutors alleged that he developed the idea of carrying out a similar operation using an aircraft, a plan that influenced his decision to pursue a career in aviation.

Investigators also said the suspect had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to familiarise himself with the route and the airport before allegedly attempting to execute the plan on the September 30 flight.

The prosecutor’s account further stated that the suspect attended a mosque affiliated with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and came into contact with individuals associated with a centre whose alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood were mentioned in the investigation. The reported connection does not, by itself, establish that the organisation directed or participated in the alleged plot.

The suspect was also said to have prepared psychologically and physically for the planned attack by consuming extremist material and undertaking boxing training. These details were presented by UAE authorities as part of their account of the investigation.

Australian authorities have separately been investigating the suspect’s links to the country. RMIT University confirmed that he had been enrolled at the institution but did not successfully complete an engineering qualification. Reuters reported that an Australian counterterrorism team was examining his time in the country and that some details about his alleged exposure to extremist networks had not been independently verified.

UAE prosecutors said the suspect had met the professional and security requirements examined during his recruitment, with the investigation finding that the procedures had not revealed indications of his alleged extremist views or plans.

The case has raised questions about how a person accused of planning such an attack was able to work as a commercial pilot. However, the UAE prosecutor general’s statement did not implicate Flydubai in wrongdoing, and the investigation into the incident and possible accomplices was continuing as of the latest reports.