Media reports said Omani co-pilot Humam Al-Hammami, who is accused of attempting to bring down a Flydubai flight, had previously traveled to Israel several times while working as a pilot.
The Wall Street Journal quoted sources as saying that Flydubai assigned Al-Hammami to flights to Tel Aviv, despite the fact that the co-pilot had previously traveled to Israel on earlier flights.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Channel 13 reported that Al-Hammami admitted during questioning in the UAE that he chose to work for Flydubai after learning that the airline operated flights to Tel Aviv, and that he had planned the operation before joining the company.
The channel broadcast excerpts from his interrogation in which he reportedly said he had searched for airlines operating flights to Tel Aviv before choosing Flydubai, adding that the planning for the operation began before he was hired by the company.
Israel’s Channel 12 also reported that the Omani co-pilot said during questioning that he had planned to crash the aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport and that he attacked the plane’s captain while it was in Jordanian airspace near Israel.
A team of Israeli investigators arrived in the UAE on Saturday to participate in the investigation alongside security agencies from other countries. The investigation is focusing, among other issues, on suspicions that Al-Hammami had previously traveled to Israel, amid assessments that he acted alone.
Meanwhile, UAE authorities announced that they had opened an investigation to determine the circumstances and motives surrounding the incident, including whether it was linked to terrorist activity or carried out as part of prior planning or under external direction.
