FlyDubai Attacker Had Been Banned From Flying by Oman for Radical Views
The U.A.E. airline later hired the co-pilot who stabbed the captain of Flight 1073 and nearly crashed the plane
Oct. 2, 2026
The FlyDubai co-pilot who stabbed his captain and sent Flight 1073 diving toward the ground had previously been banned from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views, people familiar with the matter said.
Despite the ban, the pilot, an Omani national, was hired by FlyDubai, the people said, allowing him to pilot on the sensitive route connecting the United Arab Emirates and Israel.
It couldn’t be determined whether Oman shared concerns about the pilot’s radicalization with other countries or airlines. The nature of his radicalization couldn’t be learned.
The U.A.E. is leading the investigation into the incident. A U.A.E. spokesperson declined to comment on the attacker’s history in Oman “to avoid prejudging the outcome of the investigation or interfering with its course.”
FlyDubai and Oman’s government didn’t respond to requests for comment.
A senior adviser to the U.A.E.’s ruler and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Wednesday’s near-downing of FlyDubai Flight 1073 as terrorism on Friday.
“The attacker underwent Islamic radicalization,” Netanyahu said. “He came to crash the passengers on board.”
Aviation-security analysts said the incident represented a significant security failure. While a screening error might have let a weapon through, a motivated assailant should have been detected and caught long before reaching the airport, they said.
Netanyahu said the picture of what happened on the flight is becoming clearer. The prime minister said he was Omani, but other details of his identity remain unclear.
The prime minister said Israel was investigating whether the pilot was working alone or had worked with others.
The captain and the co-pilot are in the U.A.E. after being flown there Thursday from Saudi Arabia, where the plane made an emergency landing. Israel hopes to be able to question the attacker.
The flight to Tel Aviv from Dubai nearly crashed Wednesday morning when the attacker stabbed his captain and sent the plane into a dive that nearly tore it apart.
The badly injured captain was able to open the cockpit door, allowing a group of passengers and crew to overpower the assailant, while two reserve pilots on board managed to stabilize and land the plane, people on board said in interviews.
FlyDubai’s flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv have been suspended until further notice following the attack.
The U.A.E. and Israel are known to have high security standards in their airports. Israeli airlines flying to Dubai are known to follow stricter security protocols than their foreign counterparts on the same route.
All FlyDubai pilots are subject to security screening before flights and have medical checks at least once a year, said a former crewmember at the company and an active pilot at Emirates, FlyDubai’s sister carrier. The airline conducts in-house psychology checks for first officers as they graduate to captain. It is unknown whether the attacker underwent a similar check.
Still, an Israeli official said the country has long called on Dubai airport officials to strengthen security for flights heading to Tel Aviv. Israel stopped its own airlines from flying between Dubai and Israel for several months this year amid security concerns and the risks posed by the war against Iran.
A classified report released by Israel’s comptroller’s office in May 2024 found a number of issues with security on flights to and from the country, including inadequate security at foreign airports, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. The report found that Israel’s Ministry of Transportation was focused on Israeli airlines and wasn’t investing enough money and resources on securing foreign airlines flying to Israel.
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