Egyptian Pilot Posts Threatening Video After Flydubai Incident

An EgyptAir pilot, Osama Mansour, posted a video on social media showing an El Al plane flying over Italy, with a quote from former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat stating, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and violence for violence." The video, which included the comment "This is just the beginning," was posted following an attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight and Shin Bet warnings about security gaps on foreign flights to Israel.

Sadat originally used a similar phrase in a 1973 speech during the Yom Kippur War. The Egyptian pilot's video comes amid concerns about aircraft hijackings, particularly after the September 30th incident where a co-pilot on Flydubai Flight 1073, en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv, attacked the captain with an axe and caused the plane to plummet nearly 5,200 meters. Israeli passengers and crew members subdued the attacker, and the plane landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

This serious incident has renewed questions about the security of foreign flights entering Israel. A May 2024 State Comptroller report had already highlighted security deficiencies on foreign airlines flying to Israel and recommended a comprehensive aviation security policy. Additionally, in the months prior, Shin Bet head David Zini had warned that security on flights from Dubai was insufficient.

The Shin Bet issued three documents last week alerting that chartered flights were not being adequately screened. Following an internal National Security Council document on October 4th pointing out security gaps on foreign flights, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a thorough review of all aspects of foreign civil aviation security to Israel.