Omani Pilot Intended Terror Attack, Iran's Role Unclear
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Omani deputy pilot intended a nationalist terror attack, according to investigation findings.
- Israel is investigating severe oversight failures by the Ministry of Transportation.
- The UAE disputes Israel's firm conclusion of a nationalist motive before the investigation concludes.
- Security agencies are assessing if the pilot acted alone or was directed by a terror group.
- Indications of Iranian involvement are weakening, but not entirely dismissed.
New findings from the investigation into the deputy pilot involved in the attempted Flydubai hijacking in Saudi Arabia indicate he intended to carry out a nationalist terror attack. Israeli security agencies are investigating potential severe oversight failures by the Ministry of Transportation regarding pilot screening. The United Arab Emirates has expressed anger over Israel's firm assertion that the incident was a nationalist attack, stating such conclusions are premature before the investigation is complete.
Initial reports, based on Saudi investigations and other intelligence, suggest the deputy pilot underwent a radicalization process over the past year and decided to act independently. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the perpetrator had indeed become radicalized in the last year. Israeli intelligence bodies, including the Mossad and Shin Bet, are working with Saudi Arabia and the UAE to determine if the pilot acted alone or on behalf of a terrorist organization. The current assessment leans towards a lone actor with independent nationalist motives, with diminishing indications of Iranian involvement, though this is not definitively ruled out.
In response to the security breach, Israeli agencies are examining their own procedures, including the aviation agreement with the UAE concerning pilot screening and the roles of the Mossad and Shin Bet in overseeing this process. The Ministry of Transportation, under Minister Miri Regev, is also under scrutiny, as is the "Center for Aviation Security Operations," a body responsible for monitoring the entry of flight crews into Israel. Authorities suspect significant oversight lapses allowed the perpetrator to infiltrate.
The UAE has stated it will lead the investigation exclusively and conveyed to Israel that its definitive pronouncements on the incident being a nationalist attack are unacceptable at this stage. While not dismissing the nationalist motive, the UAE is hesitant to confirm it conclusively. Israel is hopeful that testimony from the Emirati pilot who was stabbed during the incident, and has since been transferred from Saudi Arabia to the UAE, will provide further details.
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