UAE Shared FlyDubai Crew Data With Israel Before Flight, AP Reports

The disclosure that Israel received the flight manifest in advance has exposed severe systemic failures and prompted mutual recrimination among Israeli government and security agencies. Under a 2023 Knesset law, airlines must submit passenger and crew data 48 hours before departure to a database managed by the Tax Authority, which is accessible to the Mossad, Shin Bet, and police. The Tax Authority confirmed receipt of the Flydubai manifest, which included al-Hammami's name and Omani nationality. However, no security concerns were flagged before takeoff.

Al-Hammami had previously raised security concerns due to Islamist radicalization and possession of extremist materials, which had led Oman Air to ground and ban him from flying. Oman has no diplomatic relations with Israel, and Flydubai had previously committed to assigning pilots only from countries with diplomatic ties to Israel. Israeli security officials are urgently seeking to determine if al-Hammami acted alone or was linked to terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, or Iran.

In the wake of the incident, Israeli agencies are disputing responsibility for vetting foreign flight crews. Transportation Minister Miri Regev assigned responsibility to the Mossad, stating her ministry is not an intelligence agency and received neither the crew list nor any warnings. Conversely, the Shin Bet and other security sources stated that vetting foreign crews falls under the Transportation Ministry's security division, which they claim has failed to implement the 2023 vetting law. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a comprehensive security review of foreign flights.