By IMOGEN GARFINKEL - SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER
Published: | Updated:
A Delta flight from New York to Tel Aviv was evacuated after landing in Israel on Tuesday morning following a bomb threat, according to local media.
The aircraft was diverted to a remote runway where security checks were carried out, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Initial assessments suggest the bomb threat was a false alarm, the outlet claimed.
Passengers were evacuated to the terminal, and authorities said there was no immediate danger.
The incident has not yet been declared resolved as investigations continue.
Delta Air Lines in September resumed its route from New York to Tel Aviv after a hiatus of more than six months since the start of the war with Iran.
Authorities maintained a high state of readiness following the attempted hijacking last month of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
The Omani Flydubai co-pilot had intended to seize the flight and crash it into a terminal at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport on September 30 in a suicide attack before he was thwarted by the captain, the UAE attorney general said on Friday.
A Delta flight from New York to Tel Aviv was evacuated after landing in Israel on Tuesday morning following a bomb threat
The plan was inspired by the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US, UAE public prosecutors think, as a result of their criminal investigation launched on October 1.
It found the suspect had used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to 'familiarise himself with the flight route and the airport', the state news agency WAM reported.
It is the first public confirmation of the co-pilot's 9/11 inspiration.
The aircraft was in Saudi airspace when the co-pilot attacked the captain with a crash axe, typically kept in the cockpit for use during emergencies.
The incident caused the airliner to plunge 16,000 feet (4,900 metres) in 30 seconds before the attacker was overwhelmed and two other pilots who were on board landed the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia.
The suspect was transferred to the UAE, Flydubai's home country.
Attorney General Hamad Saif al Shamsi's statement did not appear to implicate Flydubai in any wrongdoing, and contained the most detailed account yet from prosecutors about what they believe to have happened.
Investigators examined Flydubai's recruiting procedures and found the suspect had met all professional and security requirements, including holding a pilot's licence and providing a certificate of good conduct.
Hamam al-Hammami, the suspected hijacker of the Flydubai aircraft, is an Omani national
The co-pilot (pictured) used the cockpit's crash axe in his attempt to take control of the Flydubai plane
'However, none of the procedures revealed any indications of his extremist views or his intention to carry out a terrorist plot,' Al Shamsi added.
He said the 29-year-old had worked for airlines in different countries including Oman Air before joining Flydubai in January 2026.
The investigation found there were signs of the suspect drifting towards 'extremism and terrorism' as early as 2017, while he was studying in Australia.
Royal Air Maroc has said that he underwent three months of training there in 2025, but that his application to work for the airline afterwards was rejected.
UAE officials have not identified the suspect; however, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters he had been identified as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national.
Al Shamsi said the suspect had told investigators he had prepared psychologically and physically for the attack by viewing material promoting terrorism and taking boxing lessons.
Saudi Arabia has launched a separate safety investigation into flight FZ1073, sources told Reuters.