Security Establishment Draws Lessons from Flydubai Hijacking Attempt

One day after a hijacking attempt aboard a Flydubai plane, Israel's security establishment is analyzing the incident and preparing for future threats. The responsibility for preventing such events is divided between the Shin Bet (General Security Service) and the Mossad (Intelligence and Special Operations Directorate), both of which have acknowledged a systemic failure in intelligence gathering and security protocols that allowed the attempt to occur. The incident involved a pilot who reportedly stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the plane with 174 passengers aboard.

While the Shin Bet is generally responsible for airport and in-flight security, and the Mossad for gathering intelligence on such scenarios, both agencies admit they lacked specific intelligence about this particular threat. This has led to an urgent review of security measures.

Following an emergency assessment, Israeli authorities are demanding that international airlines implement enhanced security. This includes not only vetting pilots and aircrew but also scrutinizing their background checks and ensuring they undergo security screenings, which are not always standard practice at all airports.

Moving forward, the security establishment is establishing special teams within the Shin Bet and Mossad to revise and update procedures. The focus of security attention, previously concentrated on specific threats, will now broaden to include the possibility of passenger aircraft hijackings in mid-air. Intelligence efforts are also underway to determine if the perpetrator was linked to organizations like Iran, Al-Qaeda, or ISIS, or if the inspiration came from other sources of radicalization, aiming to prevent similar attempts from succeeding in the future.