New Details Emerge on Flydubai Pilot's Extremist Motives

New details have surfaced regarding the incident on a Flydubai flight where a co-pilot allegedly attempted to crash the plane. The co-pilot, identified as 29-year-old Omani national Hammam Al-Hammami, reportedly attacked the captain in an effort to seize control of the Boeing 737-800 and crash it during its flight to Tel Aviv. Al-Hammami had previously been suspended from Oman Air due to suspected extremist views. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the perpetrator acted out of extremism, intending to crash the plane with its passengers.

Flydubai initially reported a dispute between two pilots on the flight from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport. The airline confirmed that the flight crew secured the situation and diverted the aircraft, which landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with all passengers and crew unharmed. Flydubai stated it was too early to determine the motives and that an official investigation was underway.

Separately, Channel 12 reported that investigations are examining instances of pilots from Syria, Iran, and Iraq landing at Ben Gurion Airport while employed by foreign airlines. Haaretz newspaper revealed that Israel received a list of the Flydubai flight's crew and passengers before its arrival, raising questions about the vetting process for foreign airline crews entering Israel.