The Flydubai attack suspect was removed by another airline over concerns about his extremist views, sources say

The pilot suspected of having attacked another pilot aboard a Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight on Wednesday was removed from a previous job at Oman’s national airline last year following concerns about his extremist views, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

A regional diplomatic source familiar with the matter told CNN the suspect was removed from training because of concerns he had radical views. The source said he was given another role at the airline.

The pilot is an Omani citizen, another source said. He was born in the United Arab Emirates to an Omani father and Syrian mother and has spent several years of his life in the UAE, they added. An Israeli official also confirmed his identity.

The suspect has been transferred from Saudi Arabia, where the plane landed, to the UAE, where he faces a terrorism investigation. On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the suspect was believed to have undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination.”

An Israeli official told CNN the suspect had worked for Flydubai for only eight months . A third source said the alleged assailant had previously worked for Royal Air Maroc.

The revelations are likely to raise concerns about the importance of background checks in aviation hiring.

CNN has reached out to Oman Air, Royal Air Maroc and the Dubai government’s media office for comment.

Flydubai said it could not provide comment while the incident remained under investigation.

The new details leave unexplained how a citizen of Oman, which does not recognize Israel, was permitted to serve as a pilot on a flight to Tel Aviv, despite Israel’s stringent aviation security measures.

An Israeli official told CNN on Wednesday that several Israeli agencies – including Shin Bet, Mossad, the military and the Transportation Ministry – were investigating how the Omani pilot came to be part of the flight crew.

据知情人士向 CNN 透露，涉嫌于周三在飞往特拉维夫的 Flydubai 航班上袭击另一名飞行员的飞行员，去年曾因对其极端主义观点表示担忧而被阿曼国家航空公司解雇。

一位熟悉此事的地区外交消息人士告诉CNN，由于担心嫌疑人持有极端观点，他已被停止培训。该消息人士称，他已被安排在该航空公司担任其他职务。

另一消息来源称，这名飞行员是阿曼公民。他出生于阿联酋，父亲是阿曼人，母亲是叙利亚人，并在阿联酋生活了数年。一名以色列官员也证实了他的身份。

嫌疑人已从飞机降落的沙特阿拉伯被移送至阿联酋，他将在那里面临恐怖主义调查。周四，以色列总理内塔尼亚胡表示，据信该嫌疑人曾接受过“伊斯兰极端主义灌输”。

一名以色列官员告诉CNN，嫌疑人仅在迪拜航空工作了八个月。第三位消息人士称，这名嫌疑人此前曾在摩洛哥皇家航空工作。

这些披露可能会引发人们对航空业招聘中背景调查重要性的担忧。

CNN已联系阿曼航空、摩洛哥皇家航空和迪拜政府媒体办公室寻求置评。

迪拜航空表示，由于事件仍在调查中，因此无法发表评论。

新披露的细节并未解释，为何一名不承认以色列的阿曼公民，在以色列严格的航空安全措施下，被允许担任飞往特拉维夫航班的飞行员。

一名以色列官员周三告诉 CNN，包括辛贝特、摩萨德、军方和交通部在内的几个以色列机构正在调查这名阿曼飞行员是如何成为机组人员的一员的。