Flydubai Hijacker Barred by Oman, ‘Security Risk,’ Planned Crash in Israel

The Omani co-pilot accused of trying to crash a Flydubai passenger jet carrying more than 170 people, nearly all of them Israeli, had previously been barred from flying over concerns about extremist views and identified as a security risk — and has indicated to investigators that he intended to crash the aircraft in Israel, according to reports Friday.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter, that Oman had barred the co-pilot from flying over concerns that he had adopted radical ideological views. Despite the ban, the Omani national was later hired by Flydubai and allowed to serve as first officer on the sensitive route connecting the United Arab Emirates and Israel.

ABC News provided further details about the earlier warning signs, reporting that the co-pilot had been identified as a security risk while working as a trainee for Oman Air in 2024 after extremist materials were discovered in his possession, according to senior intelligence and law enforcement officials.

He was subsequently removed from flying but allowed to continue working for Oman Air in an administrative role, according to the report. Investigators are now trying to determine how he was later permitted to fly for Flydubai and ultimately became first officer aboard Wednesday’s flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

Now in UAE custody, the suspect is cooperating with authorities and “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.

The reports raise new questions about how a pilot who had already been deemed a security risk and removed from flying in Oman was subsequently able to enter the cockpit of a Flydubai passenger jet bound for Israel.

Al Arabiya English, meanwhile, reported Friday that the co-pilot spent most of his time outside Oman, particularly in Syria. Citing sources, the outlet said he had been influenced by extremist ideas during a previous stay in Syria before traveling to the UAE, and that he left Oman after authorities barred him from flying over concerns about his extremist views.

It remains unclear whether Oman shared its concerns about the co-pilot with other countries or airlines, the Journal reported, adding that the precise nature of his reported radicalization could not be determined.

A UAE spokesperson declined to address the co-pilot’s reported history in Oman, saying that doing so could “prejudge the outcome of the investigation or interfere with its course.” Flydubai and the Omani government did not respond to the Journal’s requests for comment.

The reports follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s assertion Thursday that the attacker had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination,” while Israeli investigators continue examining whether he acted alone or on behalf of 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 purpose, or involved prior planning or direction. Anwar Gargash, a senior diplomatic adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, on Friday became the first senior Emirati official to publicly characterize the incident as terrorism, describing it as a “dangerous terrorist act.”

The investigation follows the near-catastrophe aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 on Wednesday, when the co-pilot attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar as the Boeing 737 traveled 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 aboard the flight took control of the aircraft and landed it safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Flydubai has since suspended flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv until further notice, saying Friday that a full official investigation was 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,” Netanyahu said. “I think we’ll find out very soon. It is too early to say.”