How did Omani citizen with no dual nationality get to co-pilot flight to Israel?

The Omani co-pilot accused of attempting a terror attack had no second nationality that could explain his presence on an Israel-bound flight. Israel only allows pilots from countries that recognise it, and Oman doesn't. But this case could reveal more gaps than previously thought.

Israeli intelligence and counter-terror agencies, Mossad and Shin Bet, have attained near-mythical status due to their intel-gathering and operations. However, after the October 7, 2023, massacre of Israelis by Hamas, the attempted hijacking of flydubai Flight FZ1073 with Israeli passengers has raised serious questions about Jerusalem's security and intelligence. The question that is being asked the most: what was an Omani co-pilot doing in a Tel Aviv-bound plane? The question gains more significance as the Omani pilot had no second nationality.

Israel doesn't allow pilots from countries that do not recognise the Jewish nation from operating flights in its airspace. So, people believed that the Omani co-pilot, who was identified as Hamam al-Hammami by Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya citing sources, stabbed Indian captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit and attempted to crash the plane on September 30, might have been flying an Israel-bound commercial plane using his second citizenship.

However, sources familiar with the investigation told The Jerusalem Post on Friday (October 2) that the Omani co-pilot held no other citizenship. "He has no other nationality," the source was quoted by the newspaper, ruling out the possibility that he could have been cleared to fly because of a second passport.

The disclosure has intensified scrutiny of how the pilot was assigned to the flight and whether Israeli authorities failed to enforce restrictions on pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel.

Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, unlike the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which normalised ties with Jerusalem under the Abraham Accords in 2020. According to Israeli media reports, restrictions governing flights to Israel prohibit pilots from countries without diplomatic relations from operating such services.

The US-based newspaper Wall Street Journal on Saturday reported that the Omani co-pilot had previously been barred from flying in Oman over concerns about his ideological views. According to the newspaper, it remains unclear whether Oman shared its concerns about al-Hammami with other countries or airlines. The report also said the precise nature of his alleged radicalisation has not been established.

But the security of Israel, which is hailed for its precision, clearly failed to note the developments surrounding al-Hammami.

However, a separate report by The Jerusalem Post on Friday said the bilateral aviation agreement between Israel and the UAE did not contain any provision requiring pilots to be from countries that had diplomatic relations with the Jewish nation.

So, there seems to be more gaps than were known earlier.

HOW DOZENS OF OMANI PILOTS OPERATED FLIGHTS TO TEL AVIV?

However, a report by The Times of Israel, citing the Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, said dozens of Omani pilots had operated flydubai flights to Tel Aviv in recent years, despite the reported restrictions.

The report alleged that Israeli authorities had effectively delegated the responsibility of enforcing the prohibition to foreign airlines, relying on them to ensure that pilots from countries without diplomatic ties were not assigned to Israel-bound flights.

An anonymous airline industry official quoted by Channel 12 questioned the Israeli security establishment's oversight of Flydubai's crew.

"The Shin Bet has all the means to know, within five minutes, who all of the pilots on the Dubai airline are, and they simply chose to turn a blind eye," the official said.

"In Israel, they expected the airline to be reliable enough, so they didn't conduct reviews in recent years," the official added, according to The Times of Israel.

The report said Shin Bet had not independently examined the nationalities of flydubai pilots, beyond asking the airline not to assign pilots from countries that lacked diplomatic ties with Israel.

Shin Bet serves as Israel's internal security and counter-intelligence service, while Mossad is the country's foreign intelligence agency.

The above video shows the journey of flydubai flight FZ1073, which departed Dubai for Tel Aviv before making an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. (Flightradar24's data used)

DID FLYDUBAI VIOLATE THE AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL?

The controversy over the Omani pilot's assignment has also exposed conflicting accounts of the rules governing flydubai's operations in Israel.

An Israeli transportation ministry source had told The Jerusalem Post that flydubai's agreement to operate in Israel explicitly required its pilots to be nationals of countries that had normalised relations with Israel.

"This is a clear breach of the agreement," the ministry source was quoted as saying by The Jerusalem Post, calling for Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security agency, to investigate the assignment.

Israel's Transportation Minister, Miri Regev, at the same time sought to halt flydubai flights to and from Israel and directed the Civil Aviation Authority to examine compliance with the applicable requirements.

However, The Jerusalem Post, in its exclusive report on Friday, cited sources familiar with the investigation who said the bilateral aviation agreement between Israel and the UAE did not contain any provision requiring pilots to hold citizenship of countries maintaining diplomatic relations with Israel.

This distinction becomes significant. While the bilateral agreement itself reportedly contains no such nationality restriction, there is also a possibility that a separate operating or security arrangement between flydubai and Israeli authorities imposes additional requirements.

For now, it remains unclear whether the Omani co-pilot's assignment violated a separate agreement or exposed a failure in the enforcement of aviation-security procedures.

It is also important to note that Israel does not have a blanket rule prohibiting entry solely because a person's country of citizenship lacks diplomatic relations with Israel. However, this is different from operating in Israeli airspace.

Entry is regulated primarily by the Entry into Israel Law, 5712-1952. Under this law, non-Israeli nationals generally require a visa or other permit to enter. The Minister of the Interior of Israel has broad discretion to grant or refuse entry or visas.

A 3D video of the flydubai FZ1073 flight's journey from take-off to the emergency landing. (Flightradar24's data used)

HOW DID THE WORLD'S TOP INTEL AGENCY'S SECURITY SCREENING FAIL?

The incident occurred aboard Flight FZ1073, which was carrying 174 passengers, mostly Israelis, from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The Omani co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain, who was an Indian, and attempted to take control of the aircraft, triggering a dangerous situation mid-air.

Passengers intervened to subdue the attacker, while additional pilots travelling aboard the aircraft helped bring it under control. The aircraft eventually made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, from where the passengers were subsequently transported to Israel.

The incident prompted investigations involving Israeli, Emirati and Saudi authorities, with particular attention to how the co-pilot was cleared to operate the flight.

As stated earlier, Mossad and Shin Bet have built a strong reputation for themselves. The Netflix series Fauda, a fictional account of an undercover Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unit, shows how sharp intelligence helps Israeli operatives prevent attacks and track down terrorists.

According to The Times of Israel, the country's Transportation Ministry said Shin Bet had not issued any specific threat warning concerning flydubai, apart from requests for increased baggage checks. The Times of Israel report has also cited a 2024 State Comptroller recommendation to review aviation-security protocols.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the screening issue, pointing to "a loophole there, how to make sure that we screen pilots in advance".

The investigations are underway, and it is yet to establish whether the responsibility for the lapse lay with flydubai's crew-assignment procedures, Israeli security oversight or a separate arrangement between the two sides. Saudi Arabia has completed its probe and has handed over the Omani co-pilot to the UAE.

With sources confirming that the suspected attacker held no second nationality, he also had been banned from flying in Oman for his radical views, the question of how he accessed an Israel-bound cockpit remains unresolved. For Israeli intelligence and aviation-security agencies, the investigation is now as much about identifying the gaps in the screening system as it is about establishing the co-pilot's motives and possible connections.

- Ends
(The copy was updated with new developments citing Wall Street Journal and Saudi's broadcaster Al Arabiya)