Singer Kobi Oz Criticizes Government Over Flydubai Incident

Singer Kobi Oz, frontman of the band "Teapacks," has criticized the Israeli government's handling of the recent incident aboard a Flydubai flight, during which a co-pilot attempted to attack the captain and crash the plane. Oz posted on X, formerly Twitter, stating, "The plane affair shows that nothing has changed, as usual, a negligent government and an amazing people." The co-pilot, Mam Al-Hamami, reportedly confessed to planning to crash the plane in Israel. The Attorney General of the United Arab Emirates announced that the co-pilot had begun executing his plan during the flight, attacking the captain in the cockpit with an emergency axe and attempting to seize control of the aircraft's systems.

Screenwriter Meni Assayag, a prominent right-wing figure, responded to Oz's post, questioning the connection to the government and dismissing Oz's praise for the public as insincere. Assayag suggested Oz was trying to gain favor with certain organizations. Oz retorted that the government was privatizing security and that actions like distributing weapons to civilians, relying on foreign companies to vet pilots, and expecting foreign leaders to dismantle terrorist groups were signs of abdicating responsibility.

An Israeli official and two other sources told CNN that the attacking pilot holds Omani citizenship. Reports indicate Al-Hamami was born in the UAE to an Omani father and Syrian mother and lived there for several years. The UAE Attorney General stated that technical, forensic, and digital tests are ongoing and that final investigation results will be released after these steps are completed.