‘He should not have been flying’: JD Vance on Flydubai co-pilot

Highlighting the issue of aviation security, Vance told CBS News, “We knew that guy was a problem — not United States intelligence, but if you look historically, that person should not have been flying an airline, and so we're certainly looking at our procedures within the United States to make sure that people who are obviously flight risks are not getting behind the wheel of an airplane.”

Also Read: Israel ready to shoot down Flydubai jet if it kept flying towards Tel Aviv: Reports

The revelation that Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami had reportedly been removed from flight training in Oman over concerns about his alleged radical views has added a new dimension to the Flydubai Flight FZ1073 cockpit attack.

According to reports, al-Hammami had previously been identified as a security concern while associated with Oman Air. He later obtained flying roles elsewhere and was serving as a Flydubai co-pilot when he allegedly attacked Indian Captain Smit Machchhar aboard the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight on September 30.

What happened aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073?

The incident occurred on September 30 aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

Machchhar was allegedly attacked by his Omani co-pilot inside the cockpit during the flight. The attack triggered a major security emergency as the aircraft was in transit towards Israel.

The crisis ended after Machchhar, despite suffering severe injuries in the alleged axe attack, managed to open the cockpit door. Passengers then intervened and overpowered al-Hammami.

Two off-duty pilots who were travelling aboard the aircraft subsequently took control of the plane and diverted it to Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing.