Co-pilot in flydubai Flight 1073 plot was flagged in Oman, reports say

The co-pilot accused of trying to crash a flydubai passenger jet has been identified as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national of Syrian origin, according to Israeli outlets and to political commentator Amit Segal, who said the man was the attacker from flight 1073. Israel Hayom reported that the pilot has admitted planning to bring the aircraft down in Israel, and that investigators are examining a possible link to Iran as well as whether he acted alone or with backing.

Ynet, citing material first published by CNN, reported that two videos appeared on a profile in al-Hammami's name hours after the attempt. According to Ynet, the clips show Israeli aircraft filmed days after the massacre, including a cockpit view zooming in on an El Al plane, along with an image of the leader of al-Qaeda. Ynet also said the man studied at a British institution, became radicalised in Syria and had been removed from two airlines before he flew to Israel.

What happened on board

Details of the incident itself remain limited in the reports. Ynet referred to new testimony about a confrontation between the pilot and flight attendants during the attempt, and about events after he was subdued. A Ynet alert said authorities are investigating whether the Omani suspect was attempting an attack in the style of 9/11, the coordinated hijackings in the United States in which planes were flown into buildings. None of the reports reviewed here gives casualty figures or a full account of how the aircraft landed.

His record at Oman Air

The most detailed account of the pilot's past comes from the American network CBS, as relayed by the Israeli news channel News.co.il. According to that report, flydubai hired al-Hammami without running a background check with the government of Oman. CBS said it was the Omani government that had monitored him while he worked for Oman Air, the sultanate's national carrier, and found that he had visited extremist websites. That finding led the airline to move him from flying duties to an office job, after which he resigned, according to the CBS account.

An Israeli security official told CBS that authorities were examining further aspects of the case, though the excerpt available does not say what those were.

Questions for Israeli agencies

The case has also prompted scrutiny of Israel's own screening. Barak Ravid, a correspondent for the US outlet Axios, wrote that the reports raise very serious questions for four Israeli bodies and argued that this was not a case of responsibility falling through the cracks, because the procedures and tools have existed for years. Ravid explained that foreign carriers may not land in Israel unless they first submit complete crew lists, which are passed through the National Centre for Passenger Data Analysis, known in Hebrew by the acronym Mala"n. He named the Civil Aviation Authority, the regulator that checks the licences of airlines, their aircraft and their crews, as responsible for this stage, and said a warning sign about the pilot should already have appeared there. His post went on to discuss further agencies, but the available text is cut off.

Israel Hayom likewise reported that the investigation has raised questions about security vetting of the co-pilot's identity and ideology carried out in both the United Arab Emirates, where flydubai is based, and Israel.

Where accounts differ

The reports do not fully agree on how the pilot's previous jobs ended. Ynet described him as having been thrown out of two airlines. The CBS account relayed by News.co.il describes one airline, Oman Air, transferring him to a desk role, and says he then chose to resign. The reports reviewed here do not name the second airline Ynet referred to.

What the reports do not say

• No official statement from the Israeli police, the Israel Security Agency or the Civil Aviation Authority is included in the material, and Israel Hayom's report of an admission is not attributed to a named official.
• The nature of any possible Iranian connection is not described; Israel Hayom says only that it is being examined.
• The reports do not explain how the pilot was overpowered, by whom, or whether anyone was hurt.
• Flydubai's response to the CBS claim about background checks is not reported.
• It is not stated where al-Hammami is being held or what charges, if any, he faces.