Because of concerns that he had adopted extremist views, oman had barred al-Hammami from flying.
In 2021, Israel’s security cabinet removed responsibility for such checks from the Shin Bet and assigned the Civil Aviation Authority, under the transportation ministry, responsibility for ensuring that security procedures on foreign flights met international requirements. The Times of Israel, citing Army Radio and internal National Security Council documents, reported that Israeli security bodies had warned for years that the Transportation Ministry was not adequately equipped to carry out security checks on foreign airlines flying into the country.
The United Arab Emirates had shared with Israel information on the passengers and crew aboard the FlyDubai flight whose Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain and tried to seize control of the aircraft, according to regional officials cited by The Associated Press. The UAE had provided Israel with information about those aboard the flight, including their nationalities, according to regional officials cited by AP. Israel, however, had not raised any red flags over either a passenger or crew member, the officials said. The Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency, has said responsibility for vetting passenger lists from foreign flights lies with the transportation ministry. Transportation minister Miri Regev, however, told public broadcaster Kan that security agencies were responsible for flight security and that her ministry had not been given a passenger list or any warning about the co-pilot. The Shin Bet said it lacked the manpower and budget to handle security checks for foreign flights, while the NSC agreed that the Transportation Ministry should assume responsibility but said it would need additional resources, according to documents cited by Army Radio. The transportation ministry has rejected the allegations as “completely false”. It said responsibility for foreign flights had existed within the ministry for decades and that it was incorrect to portray it as a recently transferred responsibility. It also said the National Security Council and other security bodies had approved its procedures.
The latest details have put the spotlight on possible security failures in Israel, the UAE and the airlines involved. The discussions continued for about a year.
The disclosure has raised fresh questions over how the co-pilot was able to board an Israel-bound flight despite having previously been barred from flying by Oman over concerns about his extremist views.
