FlyDubai suspected attacker intended to crash plane into Tel Aviv airport, sources say

The alleged attacker on the FlyDubai flight to Israel was intending to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, according to two senior U.S. officials and an Israeli source familiar with the investigation.

Officials investigating the incident are still trying to determine how the suspected attacker was subsequently permitted to fly for FlyDubai and how he ended up as the first officer in the cockpit of a plane headed for Israel, the sources said.

"We recognize that there are many questions at this stage; however, the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation," FlyDubai said in a statement to ABC News on Saturday.

FlyDubai issued a statement earlier Friday, attributed to its chief executive officer, saying that, at the request of the authorities, FlyDubai had "temporarily suspended operations to Tel Aviv until further notice," and saying "a full official investigation, led by the relevant authorities and fully supported by FlyDubai, is underway."

A disaster was averted when the flight's captain, Smit Machchhar, fought back and a number of passengers subdued and restrained the attacker, who plunged the plane thousands of feet in an apparent attempt to crash it, in what Israeli officials are saying was an act of terror.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the intention was to "crash the plane, killing everyone on board" Flight 1073 from Dubai.

The plane was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing.

Al-Hammami was transferred Thursday from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates and remains in custody.

Suspect in FlyDubai incident was previously identified as security risk: Officials