Israeli intel officers join UAE investigation of Omani terrorist in Flydubai hijacking attack

Officers from the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) are participating in the investigation into and interrogation of the Omani co-pilot involved in the attempted terror attack on Flydubai Flight FZ1073 last week. 

The co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, was transferred to the United Arab Emirates for interrogation after the plane successfully landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, following resolution of the incident. 

Hammami was briefly interrogated by Saudi authorities before being transferred to the UAE for an investigation into the attack, as UAE and Israeli authorities try to determine whether he was acting alone or had received any assistance. 

According to initial reports, Hammami took an emergency axe from the cockpit, using it to attack and injure the main pilot, Smit Machchhar, before attempting to permanently disable the plane’s controls. 

Hammami was subsequently subdued by Israeli passengers, including Yaniv Hayun, who also helped to stabilize the flight before the reserve crew was able to enter the cockpit and land the plane safely. 

That initial investigation also reveals that Hammami admitted to carrying out the attempted attack in order to avenge Palestinians in Gaza. He told investigators that he intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion International Airport. 

Saudi and UAE investigators conducted the initial investigation. However, according to reports in Israeli media, Shin Bet officers have arrived in the UAE and are also interrogating the suspect to determine if he acted as a “lone wolf” attacker or was part of a network. 

According to a report on Israel’s Channel 13, Hammami told the UAE investigators that he had applied to work for Flydubai in order to be able to carry out an attack. 

“I looked into which airline flies to Tel Aviv. That’s why I chose Flydubai,” Hammami was reported as saying. “I planned it even before I was accepted.” 

While reports indicate the UAE investigation has ruled out any participation by other crew members, it is unclear whether the Shin Bet will question them about possible involvement. 

Reports in Israeli media say that Hammami had been plotting the attack for several months, and had even planned to carry it out during a previous flight to Ben Gurion in July, but called it off due to the presence of a friend in the flight crew. 

During a meeting of the Security Cabinet to discuss the attempted attack, a Mossad official was reported to have told the ministers that Hammami visited several states considered hostile to Israel in previous years, including a visit to Syria. 

A report in the Wall Street Journal claims that Hammami’s security background should have prevented him from entering the cockpit. That report revealed that not only had he been previously fired by Oman Air for showing an interest in radical ideology, but the airline also sent him to a deradicalization program and gave him a desk job to prevent the possibility of an attack. 

However, Oman Air did not flag Hammami’s profile. 

Additionally, when Flydubai hired Hammami, it did not contact Oman Air for vetting, conducting only a criminal background check. 

The failure to properly vet flight crews from foreign airlines has created controversy in Israel after it was revealed that the Transportation Ministry is responsible for conducting background checks on foreign pilots but had not done so. Some politicians have called for Transportation Minister Miri Regev to resign. 

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged a security “loophole” regarding responsibility for background checks, promising an internal review by National Security Council chief Shmuel Ben Ezra.