The Omani first officer accused of trying to crash a Flydubai passenger jet carrying more than 170 people, most of them Israeli, had already been barred from flying and flagged as a security risk before he was hired by the airline, according to reports published Friday.
The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Oman had grounded the co-pilot over concerns he had embraced radical ideological views. Despite that history, the Omani national was later hired by Flydubai and placed as first officer on the sensitive Dubai-to-Tel Aviv route.
ABC News reported additional detail, saying the man was identified as a security risk while training with Oman Air in 2024 after extremist materials were found in his possession, according to senior intelligence and law enforcement officials. He was pulled from flying duties but kept on in an administrative role at Oman Air, the report said. Investigators are now trying to determine how he later moved into the cockpit at Flydubai.
The suspect, now in UAE custody after being transferred from Saudi Arabia on Thursday, is cooperating with investigators. ABC reported, citing sources briefed on the probe, that he has indicated his intent was to crash the aircraft in Israel.
Al Arabiya English reported separately that the co-pilot spent much of his time outside Oman, particularly in Syria, and that sources said he had been influenced by extremist ideas during a prior stay there before traveling to the UAE. He reportedly left Oman after being barred from flying over the same extremism concerns.
The Journal said it remains unclear whether Oman ever shared its concerns about the man with other governments or airlines, and the precise nature of his reported radicalization has not been determined. A UAE spokesperson declined to address his history in Oman, citing the ongoing investigation. Flydubai and the Omani government did not respond to the Journal’s requests for comment.
Netanyahu Points to Radicalization, Possible Iran Link
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the attacker had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination.” Speaking again Friday, he said: “As time passes, the picture becomes clearer. The attacker underwent Islamist radicalization. He came to crash the plane along with its passengers.”
“We are clarifying right now if he was sent,” Netanyahu added. “And whoever sent him will pay a heavy price.”
On Thursday, Netanyahu said investigators had not yet confirmed whether Iran or another outside actor directed the attack. “We’ll get to the root of this attacker, whether he had accomplices, whether Iran was behind him,” he said. “I think we’ll find out very soon. It is too early to say.”
Anwar Gargash, a senior diplomatic adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, became the first senior Emirati official to publicly call the incident a “dangerous terrorist act.” The UAE investigation is examining whether the attack involved prior planning, outside direction, or terrorist purpose.
The Flight
The crisis unfolded Wednesday aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, when the Omani co-pilot attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar as the Boeing 737 flew from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The jet dropped more than 16,000 feet in just over 30 seconds, according to Flightradar24 data, before the wounded Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door. Israeli passengers rushed forward to subdue the attacker while off-duty pilots on board took the controls and landed the plane safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai has suspended all flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv until further notice, saying Friday that a full official investigation is underway with the airline’s cooperation.
