Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash plane into Tel Aviv airport or building, reports say

The co-pilot accused of trying to hijack a flydubai plane planned to crash the aircraft into Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport or a tower block in the Israeli city, US and Israeli reports suggest.

Israeli media cited sources with knowledge of the probe as saying the co-pilot told investigators that, having attacked Capt Smit Machchhar, he intended to continue flying the plane as normal into Israeli airspace and receive landing clearances from Ben Gurion airport.

More details about the co-pilot of the flydubai flight – whom multiple reports have named as Hamam al-Hammami – emerged over the weekend as he continued to be questioned in the UAE, with Israeli representatives being updated.