UAE Shared FlyDubai Crew Data With Israel Before Flight, AP Reports
Translated & summarized from NEWSru Israel by baba
The UAE shared FlyDubai flight crew data with Israel before a September 30 flight, but no alarms were raised despite the co-pilot later attacking the captain. Investigations are ongoing into how the co-pilot, previously grounded for extremist views, was cleared to fly, and Israeli agencies are reportedly assigning blame for the security failure.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- UAE provided Israel with FlyDubai crew data before a flight, but no security concerns were flagged.
- Co-pilot Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani citizen, attacked the captain on flight FZ1073.
- Al-Hammami had been grounded by Oman Air for extremist views prior to the incident.
- Israeli agencies are reportedly disputing responsibility for aviation security vetting.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu has ordered a comprehensive security review of foreign flights.
The United Arab Emirates provided Israel with passenger and crew data for FlyDubai flight FZ1073 on September 30, including the pilots' names and nationalities, before the flight departed. However, neither the passengers nor the crew members raised any alarms with Israeli authorities, according to Associated Press, citing regional officials. This information has raised new questions for Israel's aviation security system.
Investigations revealed that the co-pilot, Hammam al-Hammami, who attacked the captain and attempted to crash the plane, was an Omani citizen. Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. Furthermore, al-Hammami had previously been grounded by Oman Air due to concerns over his extremist views, yet he was cleared to fly on the Tel Aviv route.
Following the incident, Israeli agencies are reportedly blaming each other for the security lapse. The Shin Bet stated that vetting passenger lists for foreign airlines falls under the Ministry of Transport's purview. Conversely, Minister of Transport Miri Regev asserted that security services are responsible for aviation safety and that her ministry received neither passenger lists nor warnings.
Dvir Rubinstein, head of the Ministry of Transport's aviation security department, told Galey Tzahal that the ministry relies on checks conducted in the departure countries and lacks the tools to vet every individual on every foreign flight. A ministry representative had previously admitted that current procedures do not account for threats originating from a pilot.
Investigators are seeking to determine which agency received al-Hammami's data, whether it was examined, and why his citizenship and background did not trigger further scrutiny. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the head of the National Security Council to initiate a review of "all aspects of security for foreign civilian aviation flights into Israel."
On September 30, al-Hammami attacked Captain Smith Machchhar with an emergency axe and tried to seize control of the aircraft. The disaster was averted when the severely injured captain opened the cockpit door, passengers subdued the attacker, and off-duty FlyDubai pilots on board took control and landed the plane in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. FlyDubai has not yet released the names of the relief pilots, with the reason for the delay unknown.
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