Authorities in the United Arab Emirates shared information about passengers and crew members aboard the Flydubai flight that was targeted in a midair cockpit attack, including the names and nationalities of the pilots, according to regional officials familiar with the investigation.

The disclosure has intensified questions over how the co-pilot accused of attacking the captain was able to operate the Israel-bound flight despite reports that he had previously been barred from flying in Oman because of concerns about alleged extremist views.

The incident occurred on September 30 aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The co-pilot allegedly attacked Indian Captain Smit Machchhar with an emergency crash axe and attempted to seize control of the aircraft.

The aircraft entered a rapid descent before passengers and crew members intervened. Machchhar, despite being seriously injured, managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the co-pilot.

Two off-duty pilots travelling aboard the aircraft subsequently helped regain control of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, which was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and landed safely.

UAE Shared Passenger and Crew Information

Regional officials said the UAE provided Israel with information about the passengers and crew before the flight departed.

The information reportedly included the names and nationalities of the pilots.

Despite receiving the information, Israeli authorities did not raise a security alert concerning any passenger or member of the crew, according to officials familiar with the investigation.

The development has raised questions about whether the information provided to Israel was adequately assessed and whether the co-pilot’s previous history in Oman was known to the relevant security agencies.

Israeli authorities have maintained that aviation security procedures require extensive information-sharing involving foreign airlines operating flights into the country.

However, officials have offered differing accounts of which government agencies received the information and what responsibility each agency had for screening the flight’s passengers and crew.

Questions Over Israel’s Pilot Screening Procedures

The incident has triggered scrutiny of Israel’s system for vetting pilots from foreign airlines.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said Israel has agreements with foreign airlines designed to prevent pilots who are citizens of countries without diplomatic relations with Israel from operating flights into the country.

Oman does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

The presence of an Omani national in the cockpit of an Israel-bound commercial aircraft has therefore become a major focus of the investigation.

Questions are being raised about how the co-pilot was cleared to operate the flight and whether his nationality should have resulted in additional scrutiny.

Israeli officials are also examining whether the relevant security agencies had access to the information supplied by the UAE before the aircraft departed.

Israeli Authorities Say No Warning Was Raised

According to regional officials, Israel did not raise concerns about either the passengers or crew members listed for the flight.

That has become particularly significant because investigators are now examining the co-pilot’s previous employment history.

The suspected attacker has been identified by multiple sources as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national. Reports say he had previously been prevented from flying in Oman following concerns about alleged extremist views.

He was subsequently employed by Flydubai.

It remains unclear whether Oman formally communicated its concerns about the pilot to Flydubai or other foreign authorities.

The investigation is examining whether information about his previous security history was available to the airline or Israeli authorities before the flight.

Flydubai’s Recruitment Process Under Scrutiny

The case has also raised questions about Flydubai’s own background-check procedures.

Sources familiar with the investigation have said al-Hammami underwent standard security checks before being hired by the airline.

However, it remains unclear whether those checks included direct verification with Omani authorities or whether investigators were able to access the information that had previously led Oman to remove him from flying duties.

This distinction is important because aviation security systems depend heavily on information-sharing between countries and airlines.

A warning identified by one country’s security authorities may not automatically appear in another country’s aviation or employment databases.

The incident has exposed the potential difficulties involved in screening aviation personnel across international borders.

Why the Co-Pilot’s Nationality Matters

The co-pilot’s Omani nationality has become a central issue because Oman and Israel do not have diplomatic relations.

Israel has particularly strict security procedures for foreign airline crews because pilots have direct access to aircraft controls and can operate flights into sensitive destinations.

The fact that an Omani national was able to serve as co-pilot on a flight carrying mostly Israeli passengers has therefore prompted questions about existing agreements between Israel and foreign carriers.

Authorities are now examining whether those arrangements were followed and whether the rules governing foreign pilots were sufficiently clear.

The investigation could ultimately result in changes to procedures for airlines operating flights between Israel and countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with the country.

UAE Leading the Investigation

The UAE is leading the investigation into the incident because Flydubai is a UAE-based airline and the aircraft is registered in the country.

UAE authorities have described the cockpit attack as a terrorist incident and are investigating the circumstances, motive and any possible connections to other individuals or organizations.

Investigators are examining physical and digital evidence as well as the backgrounds of the pilots.

The suspected attacker has been transferred to the UAE, where authorities are questioning him as part of the investigation.

Officials have not yet publicly established whether he acted alone.

They are also examining whether his alleged previous extremist views were connected to the attack.

Israel Received Information Before the Flight

The revelation that information about the flight was shared with Israel has added another layer to the investigation.

Under Israel’s aviation security arrangements, foreign airlines operating flights into the country are required to provide passenger and crew information before departure.

The information is intended to allow relevant authorities to identify potential security concerns.

The fact that Israeli authorities reportedly received the Flydubai flight’s crew information but did not flag the co-pilot has raised questions about how the data was processed.

Israeli officials have also disputed accounts over which government department was responsible for receiving and reviewing the information.

The country’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, has said passenger-list vetting falls under the responsibility of the Transportation Ministry, while Transportation Minister Miri Regev has said security agencies are responsible for flight security.

The disagreement has intensified political and public scrutiny of the system.

Aviation Security Expert Highlights Cross-Border Challenges

The incident has also prompted aviation security specialists to examine the difficulties associated with international background checks.

Philip Baum, a visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University in Britain, said that background-check systems vary between countries and that there are limits to the information that can be exchanged across borders.

“In terms of aviation security itself, obviously we want to have as robust background checks as possible. But there are huge limitations on doing background checks in any case, especially in cross-border checks,” he said.

The case illustrates one of the biggest challenges facing international aviation security: information held by one government may not necessarily be accessible to another government or airline.

Passengers Prevented a Possible Disaster

While investigators focus on the security failures surrounding the flight, passengers and crew members have been credited with helping prevent a potentially catastrophic outcome.

After the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar, the aircraft began a rapid descent.

The wounded captain managed to reach the cockpit door and open it, enabling passengers to rush inside.

They restrained the co-pilot while two off-duty pilots aboard the aircraft helped take control.

The aircraft was then diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

The successful emergency landing prevented the incident from becoming a major aviation disaster.

Machchhar later told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he could feel the aircraft descending while he was lying injured inside the cockpit.

Investigation Could Lead to New Security Measures

The questions emerging from the incident could lead to changes in aviation security procedures involving foreign pilots.

Authorities may review how airlines conduct international background checks, how security warnings are shared between governments and how passenger and crew information is assessed before flights enter another country’s airspace.

The case could also prompt closer scrutiny of pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel.

For Flydubai, the investigation could result in a detailed review of its recruitment and vetting procedures.

For Israel, the incident raises questions about whether existing systems for screening foreign flight crews are sufficient.

For the UAE and Oman, investigators will also have to determine whether information about the co-pilot’s previous security concerns was properly communicated.

Major Questions Remain Unanswered

Despite the growing amount of information about the incident, several key questions remain unresolved.

Investigators still have to determine precisely why the co-pilot attacked the captain, whether he intended to crash the aircraft and whether he acted alone.

They must also establish what information Oman had previously gathered about him, whether that information was shared with Flydubai and whether it was available to Israeli authorities before the flight.

The investigation will also examine why existing aviation security procedures did not identify the co-pilot as a potential threat.

The answers could have implications well beyond Flydubai.

The incident has exposed the difficulties of maintaining aviation security when pilots work across multiple countries, airlines and regulatory systems.

As investigators continue examining the evidence, the focus is increasingly shifting from what happened inside the cockpit to a broader question: how did a pilot reportedly considered a security concern in one country ultimately find himself in the cockpit of an international flight bound for Israel?