ISTANBUL -- A man accused of attempting to hijack an Israeli plane from Tel Aviv to Istanbul dreamed of carrying out a September 11-style attack, a Turkish police officer said Monday, according to the Anatolia News Agency.

The suspect, a 23-year-old Israeli Arab named Tawfiq Fukra, was being questioned by Turkish anti-terrorism police in Istanbul after security guards aboard the El Al flight foiled the hijack attempt late Sunday night, AFP reported.

The would-be hijacker attacked an air hostess and tried to force his way into the cockpit of the Boeing-737 with a pocket knife but was swiftly overpowered by El Al guards, Israeli officials said.

The Turkish police officer said the man had "dreamed of an attack like September 11 against the United States," when Islamist extremists hijacked airliners and slammed them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.

He was not known to have links with any terrorist organizations and acted "simply to make the voice of the Palestinian people heard," the police officer said.

The suspect, who was grilled for several hours after undergoing a medical examination, was due to appear in court later Monday.

The plane, on a scheduled flight from Tel Aviv to Istanbul with 170 passagers on board, alerted air traffic controllers of the hijack attempt on its approach for landing to Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport.

The incident lasted only a couple of minutes. The plane landed at about 0950 P.M. (1950 GMT) without incident and the suspect was taken into custody.

An Istanbul airport official said the suspect was "overpowered on board" and immediately turned over to airport police on arrival.

Passengers were able to leave the airport only four hours later after the plane was searched and luggage was checked.

Turkish police said Fukra carried out the hijack attempt "to protest against Israel," Anatolia News Agency said.

The young man picked the flight to Istanbul because it was "a cheap flight," police added.