Updated 1w+ ago · World
Report: Israel Received FlyDubai Crew Details Before Hijacking Attempt
Israeli authorities received nationalities and identities of crew and passengers on a Flydubai Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight before co-pilot Hamam al Hammami attempted to hijack it. Israel flagged no concerns.
- Al Hammami attacked Indian pilot Smit Machchhar with a cockpit emergency axe.
- The plane lost altitude sharply; passengers and crew overpowered al Hammami after the cockpit door opened.
- Oman had removed al Hammami from flight duties and reassigned him over concerns about his views.
- Australia held a file on him; Royal Air Maroc trained then declined to hire him in 2025.
Why it matters: Multiple institutions held information about al Hammami before he boarded a cockpit. The Jerusalem Post's analysis concludes that information never traveled between them.
- A 2024 Israeli State Comptroller's Report had already called for a review of aviation security responsibilities for incoming foreign flights.
- Israeli officials are now disputing internally which agency was responsible for vetting the crew list.
How 50 sources split on this story
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50 sources · 95 articles · 40% Center coverage
Where they split: Whether the attack had Iranian backing is actively disputed: Trump raised the possibility, Netanyahu called it too early to judge, and an Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post the working assessment as of October 1 was that al Hammami acted alone.
Center20 sources
Jerusalem Post1w+'Thank you, hero': Highway 4 billboard honors Indian pilot who saved Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flightTimes of Israel1w+Israel was prepared to shoot down flydubai jet during attempted hijacking — reportJapan Times1w+FlyDubai hijacking turns into flash point in Israeli electionReuters1w+Key aircraft incidents that reshaped aviation safety rules since 9/11Associated Press1w+Australia launches probe into FlyDubai co-pilot’s past, and other Mideast newsNewsweek1w+Why won’t the media call the FlyDubai attack ‘Islamist’?The National Desk1w+Co-pilot once barred in Oman accused of 'terrorist attack' in FlyDubai cockpit stabbingBBC News1w+Flydubai co-pilot planned to crash plane into airport, reports suggestBloomberg1w+FlyDubai Co-Pilot Was Failed Student at Australian UniversityCTV News1w+Australia launches probe into FlyDubai co-pilot’s past, and other Mideast newsDeutsche Welle1w+Australia, New Zealand probe Flydubai pilot's time thereFinancial Times1w+Suspected Flydubai attacker received flight training in New ZealandForbes1w+Flydubai Hacker Meant To Attack Israeli Airport, Reports ClaimKSAT 12 San Antonio1w+FACT FOCUS: What's known about the FlyDubai attack probe and the red flags about the suspectNPR1w+FlyDubai attacker intended to crash plane into Tel Aviv airport, ongoing investigation findsThe Hill1w+Australia launches probe into FlyDubai co-pilot’s past, and other Mideast newsUSA Today1w+Trump says he thinks Iran was responsible for Flydubai attackWFLA News Channel 81w+Alleged FlyDubai hijacker planned to target Israel airportWPLG Local 101w+UAE had shared details about FlyDubai flight with Israel, including pilots' names and nationalitiesYahoo News1w+Co-pilot planned flydubai attack before joining airline, two Israeli officials say
Left10 sources
The Independent1w+Trump blames Iran for attempted hijack of Israel planeABC News1w+FlyDubai suspected attacker intended to crash into Tel Aviv airport, sources sayCNN1w+Alleged Flydubai hijacker likely wanted to target Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, sources sayHuffPost1w+Investigators: FlyDubai Co-Pilot Attacked Captain With AxLos Angeles Times1w+UAE had shared details about FlyDubai pilots with IsraelNBC News1w+Flydubai attacker had planned 9/11-style attack, source tells NBC NewsThe Boston Globe1w+UAE had shared details about FlyDubai flight with Israel, including pilots’ names and nationalitiesThe Guardian1w+Flydubai co-pilot originally planned attack for July, investigators believeThe Philadelphia Inquirer1w+Ax-wielding FlyDubai copilot had been flagged over extremism concernsThe Washington Post1w+Israel orders security review of incoming flights after co-pilot attack
Right coverage, 20 sources: The right focuses on compounding institutional failures across multiple countries and questions whether political incentives — particularly around an Iranian connection — are distracting from accountability for the security breakdown.
Washington Examiner1w+Libya's government openly shelters the next Osama bin LadenThe Daily Wire1w+The 1,200-Person Security Question Hanging Over Israel’s Near ‘9/11’The Epoch Times1w+Flydubai Co-Pilot Had Flight Training in New Zealand, Police SayDaily Mail1w+Israel 'was prepared to shoot down hijacked Flydubai jet' to prevent an 'Israeli 9/11'New York Post1w+Wannabe flydubai hijacker planned to crash plane into Israeli tower in 9/11-like attackHot Air1w+Shocka: 'Multiple Security Failures' Gave Terror Co-Pilot a 9/11 OpportunityNewsmax1w+Israel Was Ready to Shoot Down FlyDubai PlaneNTD1w+Co-Pilot Planned to Crash Flydubai Plane Into Airport or US Military Base: Israeli Security OfficialsPJ Media1w+UAE Plans Death Penalty for FlyDubai Terrorist HijackerThe Sun1w+Terrifying minute-by-minute ordeal of plane ‘hijack’ revealed by captain bludgeoned by axe as pilot ‘tried to crash jet’Citizen Free Press1w+Finger pointing over terrorist pilot, did Israel overlook security risk.Fox News1w+FlyDubai co-pilot allegedly planned to crash Israel-bound jet at Ben Gurion AirportFrontPage Magazine1w+Flydubai Co-Pilot Who Tried to Crash Plane Was ‘Religious Extremist’Human Events1w+Flydubai crew allegedly told passengers release terrorist co-pilot after they prevented hijacking: reportNational Post1w+Flydubai suspect used 'crash axe' to attack, was a failed university student targeting Israeli airport: reportsOne America News1w+UAE: Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with an axe in ‘attempted terror attack’The American Spectator1w+The flydubai Terror Attack Tests Middle East Security and DiplomacyThe Washington Times1w+Report: Omani pilot intended to crash passenger jet into Tel Aviv skyscraperThe Western Journal1w+Muslim Flydubai Hijack Suspect Cited Quran, Repeatedly Called for Women to Be Abused, Slapped, Bashed in HeadWall Street Journal1w+Multiple Security Failures Allowed FlyDubai Pilot Into Cockpit
What’s next: Netanyahu directed the National Security Council to appoint an examiner for foreign-flight security procedures.
- Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the UAE are jointly investigating the suspect's motive and how the weapon entered the cockpit.
- What exactly did Oman's, Australia's, and Royal Air Maroc's files on al Hammami contain, and who was authorized to access them?
- Which Israeli agency was formally responsible for reviewing the pre-flight passenger list, and what did it do with the information?
- Is there evidence connecting al Hammami to any external actor, or did he act alone?
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