October 4, 2026
An international investigation and security vulnerabilities are unfolding.. The co-pilot of “Fly Dubai” confessed to intending to shoot down a flight heading to Israel
A Wall Street Journal press report revealed that the authorities in the Sultanate of Oman had previously prevented the Omani co-pilot, Humam Al-Hamami, from flying on the grounds that he had been monitored for a path of Islamic extremism. Despite this, Flydubai hired him and allowed him to work on a sensitive air route, which raises serious questions about the mechanisms for vetting and exchanging intelligence information between the countries and companies involved before the incident occurred.
In the details of the incident that took place on Wednesday, Al-Hamami tried to control flight No. “FZ1073” heading from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport and bring it down inside Israeli territory, while it was carrying more than 170 people. The Indian pilot, Smit Machhar, confronted him and was likely able to open the cockpit door, enabling Israeli passengers and crew members to seize control of the co-pilot and regain control of the plane. Subsequently, pilots on board the flight took over the command and landed it safely in Saudi Arabia.
The Wall Street Journal explained that it was unable to determine whether Oman had shared its concerns with other countries or airlines, and the “nature of its extremism” was not clear. For his part, an Emirati spokesman refrained from commenting on Al-Hamami’s professional history in Oman, in order to avoid pre-judging the results of the investigation or interfering in its course.
Hours after the incident, the American ABC network reported that the co-pilot was “cooperating” with investigators in the Emirates, and admitted during the investigations that he intended to shoot down the plane inside Israeli territory. He is currently being investigated under the supervision of the UAE State Security Service, which reports directly to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed. Israel hopes that transferring the investigation to the UAE will contribute to strengthening bilateral cooperation to complete the file.
On the diplomatic and security level, it is not yet clear what the form of Israeli participation in the investigations will be, and whether it will take place directly or through an observer status, but the report indicated that the authorities in Jerusalem will receive continuous updates from Abu Dhabi, with Emirati efforts to keep the Israeli role out of the spotlight given the sensitivity of relations.
In parallel, political statements differ from Israeli security assessments regarding the presence of someone who masterminded the incident. While US President Donald Trump stated that he “heard that Iran” was linked to the co-pilot, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted – in a video clip – at the possibility that someone was behind the attempt, saying: “We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a heavy price,” sources in the Israeli security establishment confirm that there are no indications so far that he was commissioned by a specific party, suggesting that he acted alone and with a personal decision.
The incident brought to light the gaps in the system for checking data on air crew members. Airlines are obligated to send passenger and crew data to Israel in advance through the National Center for Passenger Data Diagnosis, for examination by various government agencies, including the Ministry of Transport, the Shin Bet, the Mossad, and the police. Although the Ministry of Transport raised the possibility that the co-pilot had dual nationality, which would explain his permission to fly, it was later revealed that he only held Omani nationality, which required an urgent investigation to find out how his identity bypassed the control mechanisms.
Accordingly, members of the Knesset (Efrat Reiten, Ram Ben Barak, Haili Trooper, and Oded Forer) called on the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, Boaz Bismuth, to hold an urgent session in the presence of the head of the Shin Bet to examine the aviation security system and prior procedures.
In the file of containing the repercussions, the first flight to return Israeli passengers stranded in Dubai landed in Israel, after overcoming obstacles represented by the UAE’s requirement that a cargo plane accompany every passenger flight to transport passengers’ bags. In the same context, Flydubai and Etihad Airways announced their measures, as the first suspended its flights to Israel until further notice, while the second operated two additional flights to facilitate the return of travelers, so the most prominent issue remains confined to how a person previously convicted of extremism reached the cockpit of a sensitive flight.
