Ex-Shin Bet Official Blames Negligence for Flydubai Security Breach

A former Shin Bet employee and Knesset member, Alex Kushnir, has attributed the security lapse that allowed a potential attack on a Flydubai flight to "pure negligence" and systemic failures. Kushnir, who also serves as the Director General of the Institute for Future Strategic Studies of Israel, stated that the security department within the Ministry of Transport is headed by a freelancer with multiple outside jobs, suggesting a lack of dedication and time for thorough crew list vetting. He argued that identifying the threat did not require advanced Shin Bet capabilities, but rather a simple open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysis of the suspect's social media, which was not performed. Kushnir warned that a serious incident could have occurred as early as the first terminal at Ben Gurion Airport.

Following the incident, Israel is reviewing its procedures for screening foreign flight crews. It was reported in the Knesset that over 1,200 crew members from countries without diplomatic ties with Israel have arrived since the beginning of 2026. The Ministry of Transport acknowledged that Israeli services do not receive the names or screening data of pilots from these nations, raising further concerns. The investigation into the attempted hijacking of Flydubai flight FZ1073 revealed that the co-pilot, Hammam al-Hammami, allegedly cited a desire for revenge for Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip as his motive.