- The Omani co-pilot suspected of trying to crash the plane held only Omani citizenship with no dual nationality
- Israel requires flydubai pilots to be from countries with diplomatic ties
- Israeli PM Netanyahu said the co-pilot underwent Islamist radicalisation and was suicidal
The Omani co-pilot suspected of attempting to crash flydubai Flight FZ1073 to Tel Aviv held no second nationality,The Jerusalem Post reported, citing sources who had knowledge of the investigation.
The report puts to rest the questions regarding the pilot's possession of dual citizenship that would have justified his assignment to an Israel-bound route and confirmed that the suspect only holds Omani citizenship.
Israel does not have any formal diplomatic ties with Oman, and Omani nationals must obtain a visa before entering the Jewish State.
The bilateral aviation agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates does not require pilots flying between the two nations to hold citizenship from countries that have diplomatic ties with Israel, the report stated.
However, Israel's transportation ministry told The Jerusalem Post earlier that under the airline's operating agreement, flydubai pilots must be citizens of nations that have established diplomatic ties with Israel.
Regarding the background of the Omani pilot, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said that he had undergone Islamist radicalisation and was suicidal.
"We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination," Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News.
However, the motive regarding the flydubai disaster has not been determined yet.
Netanyahu said that it is "too early" to determine the flydubai co-pilot's connections to Iran.
Talking to Israel's Channel 16 news, a fellow flydubai pilot described his colleague as a religious extremist.
The pilot said the alleged attacker joined flydubai just eight months ago. "He prayed excessively throughout the day and refused to shake hands with women," he added.
The plane was cruising at around 34,000 feet when it suddenly dropped nearly 18,000 feet in minutes after the struggle between pilots broke out in the cockpit, resulting in the lead pilot being attacked.
The flight issued two distress warnings -- one being a 7500 code, which signals a hijacking -- before Captain Smit Machchhar, covered in his own blood, managed to draw on "the last moments of his energy" to click open the release on the cockpit door, Netanyahu's office said.
That allowed passengers and crew to overpower the copilot and enable a second pair of flydubai pilots who were on board to land the jet in Tabuk.
