On Wednesday, a FlyDubai aircraft en route to Tel Aviv was nearly hijacked by a religious extremist. He stabbed the captain, who managed to open the cockpit door, allowing the crew and other passengers to regain control of the plane. Reserve pilots on board made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia before transferring all passengers safely to their destination. 

There were red flags with the would-be hijacker, who has been identified as Omani Hamam al-Hammami, including refusing to shake hands with women. The terrorist was later revealed to have been banned from flying due to his religious extremism. Furthermore, Oman does not share diplomatic relations with Israel, a prerequisite to land in the Jewish State. How was he able to get on that plane (via WSJ):

The FlyDubai co-pilot who stabbed his captain and sent Flight 1073 diving toward the ground had previously been banned from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views, people familiar with the matter said.

Despite the ban, the pilot was hired by FlyDubai, the people said, allowing him to fly on the sensitive route connecting the United Arab Emirates and Israel. The alleged attacker is an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami, said other people briefed on the investigation.

It couldn’t be determined whether Oman shared concerns about the pilot’s radicalization with other countries or airlines. The nature of his radicalization couldn’t be learned.

The U.A.E. is leading the investigation into the incident. A U.A.E. spokesperson declined to comment on the attacker’s history in Oman “to avoid prejudging the outcome of the investigation or interfering with its course.” 

FlyDubai and Oman’s government didn’t respond to requests for comment. 

A senior adviser to the U.A.E.’s ruler and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Wednesday’s near-downing of FlyDubai Flight 1073 as terrorism on Friday.

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Aviation-security analysts said the incident represented a significant security failure. While a screening error might have let a weapon through, a motivated assailant should have been detected and caught long before reaching the airport, they said.

Netanyahu said the picture of what happened on the flight is becoming clearer. The prime minister said he was Omani, but other details of his identity remain unclear. 

The prime minister said Israel was investigating whether the pilot was working alone or had worked with others.

All flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv have been suspended. All pilots undergo security checks before flying. They also conduct annual mental health checks.