Flydubai payments to Israeli aviation security chief exposed as Trump blames Iran

Israeli authorities increasingly believe the Omani co-pilot accused of attempting to crash a flydubai passenger jet acted alone, while U.S. President Donald Trump said he personally believes Iran was responsible for the Sept. 30 attack on Flight FZ1073. Shin Bet investigators traveled to the United Arab Emirates to participate in the interrogation of suspect Hamam al-Hammami, who allegedly attacked the captain with an emergency ax before passengers intervened and the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia. The UAE has called the incident a terrorist attack. The attack has exposed broader concerns about Israel's aviation security system, including revelations that Dvir Rubinstein, director of the ministry's Aviation Security Operations Center, privately received payments from flydubai while holding a central security oversight role. Transportation Ministry officials had repeatedly warned that the security division lacked resources to handle foreign airline screening, with no dedicated meetings held to address the issue.