UAE prosecutor says accused Flydubai cockpit attacker chose aviation after 9/11

Prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates now say the man accused of trying to seize a Flydubai jet last month became a pilot because of the September 11 attacks.

What the attorney general says

The UAE's top prosecutor, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, put out a written account of the case against Hamam al-Hammami. Authorities accuse al-Hammami of knifing his fellow pilot in the cockpit and trying to take over the plane.

The statement says al-Hammami confessed that the idea of copying the 9/11 hijackers took hold of him. It says that idea was tied to his choice to train as a pilot.

Prosecutors allege he planned a deliberate terror attack. In their account he meant to gain control of the jet and fly it into the passenger terminal at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport to kill as many people as possible.

Earlier trips to Tel Aviv

Investigators also say it was not his first time flying into Tel Aviv. According to the statement he had made the trip twice before to learn the route.

How the flight ended

Authorities say passengers charged at al-Hammami and pinned him down after the stabbing. Two pilots who were traveling off duty then brought the plane down safely. The claims against him have not been tested in court.