Pilots with Enemy State Citizenship Landed in Israel, Investigation Reveals

An investigation is underway into suspicions that pilots holding dual citizenship, including from enemy states like Iran, Syria, and Iraq, have landed in Israel in recent years. The co-pilot of a recent Flydubai flight, Haitham Al-Haimi, who allegedly attempted to crash the plane with 174 passengers, had previously visited Israel and landed there just a week before the incident. Israeli authorities are currently unable to question Al-Haimi and are relying on reports from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, though future questioning may be possible. This situation highlights potential security lapses, as Israeli officials were reportedly unaware of Oman's decision to ground Al-Haimi or his alleged religious radicalization. The Ministry of Transport's security division did not oversee foreign airlines' background checks on their pilots, and neither the Mossad nor the Shin Bet conducted ongoing intelligence monitoring of pilots flying into Israel. The ministry relied solely on self-reported information from foreign airlines regarding their crew members. Compounding the issue, Al-Haimi had reportedly posted online in support of Al-Qaeda operatives and photographed Israeli aircraft at Dubai Airport, information that seemingly went unnoticed. This comes despite a recent directive from the head of the Shin Bet prohibiting Israeli airlines from flying to Dubai due to security screening concerns, while no similar action was taken regarding pilots on foreign flights.