Israeli Channel 13 reported that a team of Israeli officials arrived in the Emirates to participate in the investigation of Humam Al-Hammami, the Omani co-pilot accused of trying to shoot down a Flydubai plane that was heading to Israel.
The channel said that four countries are participating in the investigation, which focuses, among other things, on finding out whether Al-Hamami had previously worked among flight crews that landed in Israel.
According to initial Israeli estimates, Al-Hamami acted alone, without direct assistance from another party or network, during the trip.
The channel quoted a senior Israeli security official who described the incident as a “major security and intelligence failure,” noting that the Omani co-pilot had recently entered Israel.
The official said that, according to his discretion, Al-Hamami could have tried to shoot down the plane on sensitive targets, calling for preventing pilots from countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel from entering the country.
On the other hand, Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev refused to hold her ministry responsible.
She said, in an interview with the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, that the Mossad is responsible for security checks related to foreign airline crews, while the Shin Bet is responsible for Israeli airlines and Israeli charter flights.
Regev revealed that the Ministry of Transportation did not receive lists of the flight's passengers or crew members, while ministry officials acknowledged their inability to determine whether other pilots from countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel had previously entered the country.
A senior official in the ministry said that foreign airlines are obligated to submit lists of their crews, but this data is kept with a specialized department in the Israeli Tax Authority, which refers it to the security authorities and relevant ministries.
وأضاف أن وزارة المواصلات لم تكن تتلقى هذه المعلومات بشكل مباشر.
On Saturday, the Emirati Public Prosecutor, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said that investigations revealed that the co-pilot of the Flydubai plane had attempted to carry out a “terrorist operation,” noting that he began implementing his plan during the flight, as he assaulted the pilot of the plane inside the cockpit using an emergency axe, and tried to control the plane’s controls, according to what was reported by the official Emirates News Agency.
According to Al Shamsi, “investigations are still underway to uncover all the circumstances of the incident, its motives, and the connections associated with it, in addition to completing technical examinations and examining physical and digital evidence, with the final results being announced as soon as the necessary procedures are completed.”
The UAE authorities confirmed that they had begun investigating the incident, and that the Public Prosecutor had directed to “verify the extent of its connection to any terrorist activity or purpose or the existence of prior planning or direction for it.”
The UAE Public Prosecution did not reveal, according to investigations reported by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on Saturday, the nationality of the co-pilot, but a Saudi source confirmed to Agence France-Presse that he is Omani.
However, several press reports stated that he was Omani, identifying him as Humam Al-Hammami, born to an Omani father and a Syrian mother.
On Wednesday, the attack occurred on board the plane, which was carrying 172 passengers, including 166 Israelis, in addition to the crew members, on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The co-pilot stabbed the Indian captain, who, despite his injury, was able to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to control the attacker, according to Agence France-Presse.
Subsequently, Flight No. 1073 made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
A Flydubai spokesman said that the circumstances of the incident are still under investigation and that the company is unable to comment further at this time.
According to international media reports, the Omani co-pilot was banned from flying in his country on suspicion of holding “extremist views,” noting that the Omani authorities prevented him from flying planes for security reasons, believing that he was “influenced by extremist Islamic groups” during a trip he took to Syria.
A spokesman for Buckinghamshire New England University said in a statement that Al-Hammami "had previously completed a training course in aviation management via the distance learning system, but he did not receive any training in piloting aircraft at the university."
Reports indicated that the attacker joined Flydubai after leaving his job at Oman Air and failing to get a job at Emirates Airlines.
Reuters, citing two informed sources, confirmed the name and nationality of the attacker.
In response to a question about the possibility of Al-Hamami working for Royal Air Maroc, the company said that he underwent three-month training with the company in 2025, but his application to work for it after that was rejected.
The company did not provide further details, according to Reuters.
Israel denounced the "attempted jihadist terrorist attack," and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the co-pilot "had undergone a process of extremist Islamic ideological indoctrination... and he intended to shoot down the plane."
While Anwar Gargash, advisor to the UAE president, described the attack as a “dangerous terrorist act.”
Later, Gargash wrote in a post on the
For his part, Netanyahu on Saturday invited the pilot of the Flydubai plane to visit Israel as a “guest of honor,” and described him as a “hero” after he foiled the “terrorist operation” planned by his assistant.
Netanyahu said that he would like Smit Machar and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “one of Israel’s main international partners, to light a torch at a ceremony marking Israel’s National Day next May,” noting that this role is usually reserved for Israeli citizens.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office published a video clip of a call between Netanyahu and the pilot lying in the hospital, in which he tells him, "You are a true hero to the brave people of India and Israel, and a hero to the entire world."
In this context, Netanyahu warned that any party proven to be involved in the plane incident would pay a “very heavy price,” without providing evidence indicating any country’s responsibility.
He said: "As time passes, the picture becomes clearer: the attacker succumbed to the path of Islamic extremism, and came to destroy the plane with all its passengers."
Speaking about the co-pilot, he added, “We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with a “very strong strike” if its involvement in the attack on the pilot of the Fly Dubai plane was confirmed, adding that he “likely believes this hypothesis.”
During a chat with reporters at the White House, Trump said he believes Iran is involved in the operation, explaining: “I say the answer is yes, based on what I hear, but we are working on this matter at this very moment.”
The Times of Israel newspaper said on Friday that Israeli media reported "the launch of the first flight to return Israeli passengers who were stranded in Dubai," and added, "This flight is operated by the Israeli airline Arkia."
Before that, the Israeli national airline, El Al, announced the cancellation of flights scheduled for Friday to return Israelis from Dubai.
