Omani co-pilot has no second citizenship, raising questions over Israel assignment October 2, 2026 A Flydubai plane is damaged after plunging thousands of feet following a suspected hijacking attempt. (X Screenshot)(X Screenshot)Omani co-pilot has no second citizenship, raising questions over Israel assignment Tweet Join Group Join WhatsApp Group Email https://worldisraelnews.com/omani-co-pilot-has-no-second-citizenship-raising-questions-over-israel-assignment/ Email Print The suspect’s nationality was central to Transportation Minister Miri Regev’s request Wednesday to halt Flydubai flights to and from the country. By Vered Weiss, World Israel News Investigators have confirmed that the Omani co-pilot accused in the mid-flight cockpit attack aboard a Flydubai flight holds no other citizenship, intensifying scrutiny over how he was assigned to an Israel-bound route despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations between Oman and Israel. “He has no other nationality,” a source said. The suspect’s nationality was central to Transportation Minister Miri Regev’s request Wednesday to halt Flydubai flights to and from the country. A Transportation Ministry source previously told the *Post* that Flydubai’s agreement to operate in Israel required pilots to hold citizenship from countries that had normalized relations with Israel. However, other sources said the bilateral aviation agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates contains no requirement that pilots operating between the countries be nationals of states maintaining diplomatic relations with Israel. An Israeli official separately told CNN that the Omani national should not have been permitted to operate an Israel-bound flight. A second Israeli security official told CNN that Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency is supposed to vet airline personnel flying into Israel from the UAE under a security understanding connected to aviation agreements between the countries. Read Defense Minister Katz calls flydubai incident ‘Jihadist terror attack’Authorities have not determined whether the suspect was not vetted or underwent screening and received approval. The Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia following a mid-flight cockpit altercation. The suspect and crew were later transferred to Abu Dhabi. The Omani co-pilot was transferred from Saudi Arabia to the UAE on Thursday, where Israeli, UAE and Saudi officials will investigate the incident. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the man “underwent Islamist radical indoctrination.” He told CBS News on Wednesday that the incident looked “like a suicide attempt,” citing witness accounts that the co-pilot attempted to jam the aircraft’s equipment rather than stabilize it. Netanyahu told Fox News on Thursday that the suspect shouted for someone to kill him after passengers subdued him. US President Donald Trump suggested the suspect may be linked to Iran but provided no details. FlyDubaiOmanTerror Attack
