NPR reported on October 5 that the investigation found that the co-pilot of flight FZ1073 intended to crash the plane at Ben Gurion Airport; the motive is unknown. The Washington Post wrote that the investigation has widened to New Zealand as well and that the suspect had previously been flagged in Oman over extremist views. According to the Times of Israel, Israel assesses that the other crew members were not involved, and Shin Bet agents are taking part in the investigation in the Emirates. The AP agency reported that the Emirates passed the pilots’ names and citizenship to Israel before the flight. Shin Bet and the Transport Ministry blame each other. The report of three warnings that Regev ignored is Channel 12’s alone.
The case raises the question of who in Israel is responsible for vetting foreign air crews, and that question has become an issue in the pre-election campaign. It also tests the aviation arrangements created with the Abraham Accords.
New procedures on foreign flights may be introduced in the coming days, including additional document checks or delays. Check notices from your airline before flying.
The government acted quickly with a comprehensive review and a new security directive, and responsibility for vetting the crew is shared by the country of origin and the airline.
The sparring between Shin Bet and the Transport Ministry shows that no single body holds responsibility, and that an independent investigation is needed rather than mutual statements.
The question of responsibility will only be settled in an official investigation. Until then, all claims about planning, accomplices or acting on behalf of a state are reports to be read with caution. Watch for the publication of the investigation’s findings, the UAE’s response and the wording of the directives for foreign flights.
NPR, Washington Post, Times of Israel, AP, Jerusalem Post (October 4–5, 2026)
The flydubai affair: co-pilot reportedly planned to crash at Ben Gurion Airport; Israel assesses that the rest of the crew was not involved
The investigation has widened beyond the Middle East, and in Israel the dispute continues between the Transport Ministry and Shin Bet over who was supposed to vet the pilot.
On Monday NPR reported, citing the findings of the investigation, that the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 intended to crash the plane at Ben Gurion Airport. The motive is still unknown. The report adds to the words of the attorney general of the United Arab Emirates, who called the incident a terror attack, and to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s assessment that the suspect had undergone Islamist radicalization. Trump hinted at a link to Iran but presented no details, the Washington Post reported.
According to the Washington Post, the investigation has widened from the Middle East to New Zealand as well, and the authorities are trying to understand how a person who had been flagged in Oman over extremist views was allowed to fly. The Times of Israel reported that Israel does not believe other crew members were involved, and that Shin Bet agents are taking part in the investigation in the Emirates. The Transport Ministry issued a new security directive for foreign flights.
In Israel, where aircraft from the Emirates have been landing since the Abraham Accords, the sparring over responsibility goes on. The AP agency reported at the end of the week that the Emirates had passed the pilots’ names and citizenship to Israel before the flight, and that Israel raised no suspicion. Shin Bet placed responsibility on the Transport Ministry, and Minister Miri Regev wrote on X that the security bodies are responsible for flight security and that the ministry had received no warnings. Channel 12 reported, according to the Times of Israel, that Regev had ignored three earlier warnings; this was not confirmed by a second source and therefore appears here as a report only.