Israeli Investigators Arrive in UAE to Probe Flydubai Co-Pilot Attack

An Israeli investigation team arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday evening to participate in the inquiry into co-pilot Homaam Al-Hamami, who attempted to crash a Flydubai aircraft. Security officials from four countries are leading the investigation, focusing on suspicions that Al-Hamami had previously served as crew on flights landing in Israel. Israeli officials currently assess that the attacker acted alone, without a network directly assisting him during the flight. A senior security official told Channel 13 News, "There is a huge failure here, security, intelligence, and operational. The pilot from Oman was in Israel recently and could have crashed the plane in the Kirya. Pilots from countries that do not have relations with Israel should be banned from coming here."

Officials in the Gulf revealed significant failures in the airline's handling of Al-Hamami's hiring. According to them, the pilot underwent only routine checks before being hired, which focused solely on criminal history and did not include any screening for early signs of religious extremism. Amidst these failures, a senior security official emphasized, "It is imperative to establish an investigative committee."

Earlier on Saturday, in an interview with the New York Post, Tzvika Mansa and Daniel Schlichter, two of the flight's heroes, recounted that after Al-Hamami was subdued and lying bound with zip ties and headphone cords, "some of the flight attendants asked us to release him, and we had no idea why. We immediately suspected them." A loud argument ensued. Mans stated that the flight attendants told the Israelis, "You are not God, you cannot kill him," clarifying that there was no such intention: "We just wanted him not to kill us." Schlichter noted that the Israelis even placed an oxygen mask on the injured attacker's face so he would stay alive for questioning. Fearing the flight attendants' involvement in the attack plot, the Israelis decided to take command of the aircraft. "We told them from now on we decide and they do what we say," Mans described. Schlichter and other passengers escorted the crew members to seats in the middle of the plane and ordered them to stay there, with one passenger guarding the cockpit door, which pilots had already entered to take control. Shortly after, the crew understood the gravity of the situation and returned to calm the frightened passengers. Flydubai stated that the company "is prevented from commenting on the details of the case due to the ongoing investigation" and that it is "fully cooperating with the relevant authorities."