Expert Warned of Flight Security Flaw Before Flydubai Incident

An article published in July by "Mabat Mal"m," a journal of the Intelligence Heritage Center, warned of the possibility that an insider within the aviation system could exploit access to bypass security measures. The author, Dani Shenar, former director of the Security, Emergency, and Cyber Division at the Ministry of Transport, wrote the article "Aviation Terrorism - A Threat Not to Be Ignored" ahead of the holiday season and increased travel abroad by Israelis. Shenar highlighted the internal threat as a known vulnerability in aviation security, where an authorized individual with access to sensitive systems or areas abuses their position to harm an aircraft or assist others.

In light of a recent serious incident on a Flydubai flight to Israel, Shenar's warnings underscore that Israeli aviation security professionals should have been aware of these vulnerabilities. The incident's similarity to Shenar's scenario lies not necessarily in it being a proven terror attack, but in the risk allegedly originating from within the system itself, potentially from a crew member with direct access to the cockpit and aircraft systems. Shenar referred to this as the "trustworthiness of authorized access to restricted areas - the Trojan Horse." While passengers undergo security screening, airport employees or others with access to restricted zones are on the other side of security, potentially exploiting their permissions if they become hostile.

"The internal threat is a significant vulnerability," Shenar wrote. "One radical employee is enough to bypass the entire security system and assist in bringing prohibited materials into restricted areas." He cited examples such as a Heathrow Airport security employee suspected in a 2006 terror plot, a British Airways employee convicted in 2011 for planning terror activities, and a 2016 Daallo Airlines bombing where a device was placed on a plane departing from Mogadishu.

The article primarily focused on the potential for aviation terrorism at smaller, peripheral airports abroad, which may have technological and organizational gaps compared to major hubs. Shenar stated he had no specific intelligence indicating a high risk to foreign civilian aviation flying to Israel, but based his risk assessment on the availability of explosives, terror group knowledge, and limitations of screening methods. He urged Israeli security bodies to actively assess and rectify security gaps at airports serving flights to Israel.