Israeli authorities received information, including the nationalities, of the crew and passengers aboard a Flydubai flight from the United Arab Emirates before its co-pilot attempted to seize control of the aircraft and crash it, but Israel did not flag any concerns, according to a report.
Authorities in the UAE provided Israel with a list of passengers and crew members ahead of Wednesday’s flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, according to the Associated Press, which has raised questions about how the alleged attacker escaped scrutiny.
The disclosure could deepen scrutiny of the security failures surrounding the flight after officials revealed the Omani co-pilot had previously been barred from flying in his home country over concerns about his extremist views.
The co-pilot, identified as Hamam al Hammami, allegedly attacked Indian pilot Smit Machchhar with an axe kept in the cockpit for emergencies before attempting to take control of the aircraft. The plane rapidly lost altitude before Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers and other crew members to enter and overpower al Hammami.
The aircraft ultimately made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia before passengers continued to Israel aboard another flight.
Al Hammami previously worked for Oman Air but was removed from flying duties and reassigned to an administrative position because of concerns that he had developed extremist views, according to the Associated Press. He was later hired by Flydubai after undergoing standard security checks that apparently focused largely on whether he had a criminal record.
His nationality has also prompted questions in Israel. Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has long-standing guidelines intended to prevent pilots from countries without diplomatic relations from operating flights in the Jewish state.
Israeli officials have since disputed who was responsible for reviewing information provided ahead of the flight. The Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security service, said Transportation Minister Miri Regev is responsible for vetting passenger lists on foreign flights. However, Regev said security agencies are responsible for aviation security and maintained that the Transportation Ministry received neither a passenger list nor warnings about the flight.
SAUDI ARABIA, ISRAEL, AND UAE WORK TOGETHER ON INVESTIGATION INTO FLYDUBAI SUSPECT: WHAT TO KNOW
Netanyahu has since told the National Security Council to appoint an examiner to review security procedures involving foreign civilian flights to Israel.
Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the UAE are investigating the hijacker to uncover the key questions surrounding the suspect’s identity, motive, and how a weapon entered the cockpit.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
