UAE had shared FlyDubai flight details with Israel, including info on pilots, officials say
Investigators say 182 people were aboard when passengers and crew overpowered the attacker and diverted the plane to Saudi Arabia.
- On Sunday, officials confirmed the United Arab Emirates shared the passenger list for FlyDubai flight FZ1073 with Israel before departure, including crew nationalities as part of standard procedure.
- Hamam al-Hammami, the suspected pilot, had been previously barred from flying by Omani authorities due to radical ideological views, yet the UAE-based carrier FlyDubai hired him despite these concerns.
- During the Wednesday flight with 182 people on board, the co-pilot attacked the captain with a crash ax in what the United Arab Emirates called a "terrorist attack," nearly crashing the aircraft before passengers intervened.
- The Shin Bet and Transportation Ministry traded accusations over vetting responsibilities, while sources told ABC News on Saturday that Hammami is "cooperating" with the investigation following his detention in Saudi Arabia.
- Philip Baum, an aviation security expert at Coventry University, noted that cross-border background checks face significant limitations, leaving questions about how FlyDubai failed to identify the Omani pilot as a security risk.
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He had applied for the job at the Dubai airline after searching for airlines that flew to Tel Aviv.
Pilot Accused of Terrorism ‘Dreamed of Crashing Plane Into Tel Aviv Airport’
Internewscast Internewscast Hamam al-Hammami, the pilot accused of trying to hijack a Flydubai passenger… This Post: Pilot Accused of Terrorism ‘Dreamed of Crashing Plane Into Tel Aviv Airport’ first appeared on Internewscast
He probably acted alone and reportedly intended to hijack an earlier flight to Tel Aviv, but changed his mind because he knew someone on the plane.
FlyDubai's co-pilot who attacked the commander in an alleged attempt to take down the plane told United Arab Emirates investigators that he planned the attack before being hired by the Dubai state airline, according to two Israeli authorities with knowledge of the investigation. Read also: Flydubai's copilot used axe against pilot in attempted terrorist attack, say FT Arab Emirates: FlyDubai's pilot reports battle to save the plane A third sourc…
Eyewitnesses report after the almost crash of the Flydubai flight. Now there are new details about what the copilot was up to exactly.
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