The Omani co-pilot who tried to crash a Flydubai passenger jet carrying more than 170 people, nearly all of them Israeli, had been barred from flying by Oman years earlier after being flagged as a security risk, according to reports published Friday. Investigators say he has told them he intended to crash the aircraft in Israel.
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that Oman had barred the co-pilot from flying because of concerns he had adopted radical ideological views. Despite that ban, 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 co-pilot had been 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 removed from flying duties at the time but kept on in an administrative role at Oman Air. Investigators are now trying to determine how he was later cleared to fly for Flydubai.
The suspect is now in UAE custody and cooperating with investigators. He “has indicated that his intent was to crash the aircraft in Israel,” ABC reported, citing sources briefed on the investigation. He was transferred to the UAE from Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
Al Arabiya English reported separately that the co-pilot spent most of his time outside Oman, particularly in Syria, and that he was influenced by extremist ideas during a previous stay there before traveling to the UAE. He left Oman after authorities barred him from flying.
It remains unclear whether Oman shared its concerns about the co-pilot with other countries or airlines, the Journal reported, and the precise nature of his reported radicalization could not be determined. A UAE spokesperson declined to address his history in Oman, saying doing so could “prejudge the outcome of the investigation or interfere with its course.” Flydubai and the Omani government did not respond to requests for comment.
Netanyahu Points to Radicalization
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the attacker had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination,” and Israeli investigators are examining whether he acted alone or for another party.
“As time passes, the picture becomes clearer,” Netanyahu said Friday. “The attacker underwent Islamist radicalization. He came to crash the plane along with its passengers.”
“We are clarifying right now if he was sent,” he added. “And whoever sent him will pay a heavy price.”
The UAE investigation is examining whether Wednesday’s attack was connected to terrorist activity or planning. 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.”
What Happened Aboard Flight FZ1073
The investigation follows Wednesday’s near-catastrophe aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, when the co-pilot attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar as the Boeing 737 flew from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The aircraft plunged more than 16,000 feet in just over 30 seconds, according to Flightradar24 data, before the badly wounded Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door. Israeli passengers rushed forward and subdued the attacker, while off-duty pilots on board took control and landed the plane safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai has suspended flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv until further notice and says a full official investigation is underway with the airline’s support.
Netanyahu said Thursday that investigators had not yet established whether Iran or another outside actor was involved. “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.”
