Omani Co-Pilot's Foiled Attack on Flydubai Flight Raises Security Concerns

Details of the Incident

Jerusalem, Oct 5: Reports from Israeli media indicate that the Omani co-pilot who attempted to crash a flydubai flight destined for Tel Aviv had intentions of deliberately crashing the aircraft into a building or another plane at Ben Gurion Airport.

Hamam Al-Hammami, the arrested Omani first officer, allegedly informed investigators in the UAE that he planned to operate flydubai Flight 1073 normally after fatally attacking the aircraft's captain, Indian pilot Smit Machchhar.

According to these reports, Al-Hammami's strategy involved obtaining landing clearances without raising suspicion, ultimately aiming to crash the plane into a structure or another aircraft at the airport, mimicking the September 11 attacks.

Sources cited by Ynet revealed that Al-Hammami intended to execute his plan while the flight was over Jordan, approaching Israel. He believed that by waiting until the final approach, he could prevent anyone from realizing the situation in time to alert authorities or intervene.

Furthermore, Al-Hammami reportedly stated that if he could not crash the aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport, he would target a skyscraper in Tel Aviv or a US military base in Jordan.

Heroic Actions Prevent Disaster

Fortunately, Captain Machchhar, despite sustaining serious injuries, managed to fight back against Al-Hammami. He successfully sent distress signals and opened the cockpit door, allowing crew members and passengers to intervene and restrain the co-pilot.

Two off-duty pilots on board assisted in regaining control of the aircraft, which was safely landed in Saudi Arabia, averting a potential disaster.

Currently receiving treatment in a hospital in Abu Dhabi, Captain Machchhar recounted the harrowing experience during a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He revealed that Al-Hammami had requested to pray just before launching his attack with a crash axe.

Machchhar described the initial blow as heavy, leading him to believe the aircraft had been struck. However, as the assault continued, he realized the threat was coming from his co-pilot.

"The blows kept coming. I realized that it's not the aircraft; it's the other guy who was in the cockpit with me," Machchhar stated.

Investigation and Security Concerns

According to sources from Israel's Channel 12, Al-Hammami had initially planned to execute the attack in July but postponed it due to his friendship with a crew member.

Reports indicate that Al-Hammami had flown to Ben Gurion Airport multiple times prior to the incident after joining flydubai. He allegedly gathered information during a visit to Israel in June to prepare for the attack.

A Channel 13 report suggested that Al-Hammami had contemplated the attack even before his employment with flydubai, the low-cost Emirati airline operating flights to Israel.

"I looked into which airline flies to Tel Aviv. That's why I chose flydubai. I planned it even before I was accepted," he reportedly told investigators.

After attacking Captain Machchhar, Al-Hammami is said to have switched off the aircraft's engines and pushed the rudders forward, causing the plane to lose altitude rapidly.

Questions About Security Protocols

As the investigation into the flydubai incident progresses, preliminary findings have raised concerns regarding potential security lapses and the vetting process that allowed Al-Hammami to operate the flight.

Officials have noted that Al-Hammami's home country had previously prohibited him from flying due to concerns about his alleged extremist views.

There are also questions about how an Omani citizen, from a nation without diplomatic relations with Israel, was permitted to operate a flight carrying Israeli passengers.

Al-Hammami, 29, is an Omani national with a Syrian mother. He lived in Syria during the civil war and had reportedly expressed support for al-Qaeda online.

It remains unclear how flydubai failed to identify Al-Hammami as a potential security threat before allowing him to serve as a co-pilot on flights to Israel.

Regional officials indicated that Emirati authorities had shared information about passengers and crew members, including their nationalities, but Israel had not flagged any concerns regarding the flight.

Israel's domestic security agency, Shin Bet, stated that the Transportation Ministry is responsible for vetting passenger lists from foreign flights.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev emphasized that flight security is the responsibility of security agencies and that her ministry had not received a passenger list or any warnings regarding the flight.

While sharing passenger and crew information is standard aviation procedure, Dvir Rubenstien, head of aviation security at Israel's Transportation Ministry, noted that the ministry relies on local security checks and lacks the capacity to independently verify every passenger on every flight.