00:23A major aviation security question is emerging
00:27after the Fly Dubai co-pilot accused of a mid-air cockpit attack
00:31was previously banned from working in aviation in Oman.
00:36Omani sources say Hammam al-Hamami had already been flagged by security agencies
00:41over his interest in accessing extremist websites.
00:45And yet, he later entered the cockpit of a major regional airline.
00:50That is now raising serious questions about how his background was screened before he was hired.
00:57According to Omani sources, al-Hamami was a trainee with an Omani airline
01:02when security agencies identified the concern.
01:06Authorities then took action and permanently barred him from working in the aviation sector in Oman.
01:12But after leaving the country, al-Hamami was able to continue his career elsewhere.
01:18And this is where the biggest screening gap appears.
01:22Omani officials say they never received a request from Fly Dubai or from any foreign government or airline
01:29to conduct a background check on al-Hamami before his employment.
01:33Had such a request been made, Oman says it would have immediately shared the security information.
01:39That information is now being shared as part of the active counterterrorism investigation.
01:44Al-Hamami's personal history also spans multiple countries.
01:50Official records say he was born in the United Arab Emirates and had a mother of Syrian origin.
01:56Sources say he spent significant periods outside Oman, including time in Syria during his father's
02:03employment in the UAE and later in Australia for university studies.
02:07But another question is now drawing attention.
02:12Omani officials say there is a strong possibility that al-Hamami may have held dual citizenship.
02:18Why does that matter?
02:20Because aviation agreements governing flights between the UAE and Israel
02:24place nationality conditions on the crew operating those routes.
02:28Under the relevant arrangement, crew members are required to hold UAE nationality
02:34or the nationality of a country that has formalized and normalized diplomatic relations with Israel.
02:41Oman does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
02:44So the possibility of a second nationality has become an important part of the investigation.
02:51It could help explain how al-Hamami was eligible to serve on a flight connecting the UAE and Israel.
02:58But that question is separate from the more fundamental security issue.
03:02How did someone who had already been permanently barred from aviation in Oman over a security flag
03:09manage to enter commercial aviation elsewhere?
03:12That is now at the heart of the screening controversy.
03:16The case points to a possible breakdown not just in one background check,
03:21but in the sharing of security information across jurisdictions.
03:25And as investigators trace al-Hamami's nationality, travel, education and employment history,
03:32the focus is shifting from the attack itself to the system that allowed the suspect to reach the cockpit in
03:38the first place.
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