The US Middle East security umbrella proves to have many holes.
Better perhaps to build one based on regional self reliance, sovereignty and freedom from sponsors of the Zionist Greater Israel Project?
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DUBAI—Before Hamam al-Hammami stood behind his captain on FlyDubai Flight 1073 and raised an emergency ax to begin the assault that nearly brought down the plane, there had been ample opportunity for authorities in three countries to keep him from getting anywhere near that cockpit.
Oman had scrutinized his online habits and decided he showed too much interest in radical ideology to trust as a pilot at state carrier Oman Air, where he worked. They banned him from flying, sent him to a deradicalization program and put him in a desk job but didn’t flag their concerns more broadly, people familiar with the matter said.
When FlyDubai hired him in February, it didn’t contact Oman to vet his experience. The company did do a criminal-background check, a person familiar with the process said. The airline later put him on the sensitive route to Tel Aviv, where he flew multiple times, people familiar with the matter said.
Emirati authorities are currently investigating FlyDubai staff who were involved in the hiring process, people familiar with the investigation said. FlyDubai said it wouldn’t comment while the investigation was ongoing.
A photo from Hamam al-Hammami’s deleted LinkedIn profile.
The last chance to stop him before the airport came in Israel. It was a low bar—pilots from countries like Oman that don’t have diplomatic relations are barred from flying to the country, so Hammami should have been stopped outright.
Israel requires foreign carriers to submit lists of inbound passengers and crew in advance. FlyDubai sent the manifest for Flight 1073, said Israel’s Tax Authority, which maintains the country’s database of flier information. But the Ministry of Transportation, which oversees foreign carriers, said it didn’t believe it had the authority or required expertise to vet flight crews.
The ministry has never asked for a passenger or crew list since the database was set up in 2023. It says it didn’t know it could. Instead, the ministry says FlyDubai agreed in writing to check its pilots’ backgrounds and nationalities.
A classified 2024 report flagged the ministry for failing to adequately secure foreign carriers’ flights.'