The Omani co-pilot who allegedly attempted to hijack a FlyDubai flight to Israel last week told interrogators in the United Arab Emirates last week that he planned the attack even before he was employed by the Emirati airline more than a year ago, according to an Israeli official.
uncertain
he → attempt → official
He had intended to crash the FlyDubai jet into Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, the official said, adding that the co-pilot, who multiple sources familiar with the investigation have identified to CBS News as
, had flown to Israel in the past.
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sources → intend → past
A series of major security failures preceded the alleged hijacking attempt, and insiders told CBS News on Monday that the incident should have been prevented long before the plane even took off.
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plane → precede → Monday
Israel's own security protocols should've prohibited al Hamami from ever flying to Tel Aviv, according to Eytan Ben David, a former deputy head of aviation security at El Al, Israel's flagship airline.
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protocols → prohibit → Al
The Sept. 30 flight was approaching Israel when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with the plane's crash ax and
, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the flight captain.
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pilot → approach → Netanyahu
Israel receives lists of passengers and crew for all flights into the country in advance, and, at least in the past, each individual was checked by a security division inside the transportation ministry to make sure they posed no threat, Ben David told CBS News.
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David → receive → News
An Omani pilot should never have been permitted to fly into Israel under its current guidelines, as Oman does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, said Ben David, who is also a former deputy head of Israel's National Security Council.
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who → permit → Council
"It's enough that you see that he is of Omani nationality to say, 'Stop, he cannot fly to Israel because he is Omani, replace him with another pilot,'" said Ben David.
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David → see → pilot
"It's a huge failure, and it's a big miracle," he added of the seemingly narrowly averted catastrophe.
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he → add → catastrophe
Ben David said he once personally prohibited a pilot with Iranian citizenship from flying a Turkish Airlines plane into Israel under the same rules, which extend to Iran.
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which → say → Iran
Sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News it is possible al Hamami has dual citizenship, which could explain how he was allowed to fly to Israel.
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he → tell → Israel
Smit Machchhar, the FlyDubai captain, was able to fight off his co-pilot long enough to unlock the cockpit door,
last week from a hospital bed in Saudi Arabia where he was recovering from stab wounds.
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he → fight → wounds
A group of Israeli passengers and FlyDubai staff then overpowered the co-pilot, and two off-duty pilots who were on the flight managed to gain control of the aircraft and make an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
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who → overpower → Tabuk
Israel's government passed a law in 2023 that requires foreign airlines to submit a list of passengers and crew ahead of all flights to Israel, aimed at preventing terrorist incidents.
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that → pass → incidents
Following the alleged attempted hijacking last week, Israel's transportation ministry, as well as its domestic and foreign security agencies, have all said they were not responsible for vetting foreign flight crews.
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they → follow → crews
Ben David said the responsibility to properly vet foreign pilots primarily falls on the security branch inside Israel's transportation ministry.
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responsibility → say → ministry
Israel has made efforts for many years to secure its own airlines and vet their personnel.
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Israel → make → personnel
But foreign airlines and their crews have emerged as a potential gap in aviation security, and Israel's near tragedy last week is likely to trigger a reevaluation, Ben David said.
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David → emerge → reevaluation
"I'm sure all the countries in the world heard about this and said to themselves, 'Let's check what the situation is for us,'" he told CBS News.
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he → hear → News
Failing to block him based on his nationality is just one example of the apparent failures that took place before al Hamami boarded the flight to Tel Aviv last week.
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Hamami → fail → Aviv
He had also been removed from his role as a pilot by his previous employer, Oman Air, with which he underwent new pilot training, sources told CBS News over the weekend.
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sources → remove → weekend
Surveillance by Omani authorities revealed that he was visiting radical websites, the sources said.
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sources → reveal → websites
Oman Air transferred him to an office job.
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Air → transfer → job
One of the sources said al Hamami resigned from his job at Oman Air after being placed on desk duty, leaving the airline around 2024.
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Hamami → say → 2024
Al Hamami then moved to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, where he was hired by FlyDubai.
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he → move → FlyDubai
The Emirati carrier hired the Omani without vetting him with Oman's government, the sources told CBS News, and as he was not fired by the first airline, he may not have raised any red flags anyway.
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he → hire → flags
FlyDubai told CBS News on Monday that it could not respond to questions on the incident due to the ongoing investigation.
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it → tell → investigation
Al Hamami is an Omani citizen but was not born in Oman and lived most of his life outside the Persian Gulf nation, the sources told CBS News.
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sources → bear → News
They said his mother is Syrian and his father is Omani.
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father → say → ?
Oman's government has not publicly confirmed the co-pilot's nationality.
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government → confirm → nationality
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