FlyDubai hired co-pilot Oman had banned from flying

Officials call near-downing a terror plot

Oman had previously banned the co-pilot whom FlyDubai hired for the route between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The co-pilot is an Omani national. Despite the ban, FlyDubai hired him and allowed him to pilot on what the Journal described as a “sensitive” route connecting the U.A.E. and Israel, the people familiar said.

A senior U.A.E. political figure and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both described the near-downing as a terror plot, according to the Journal.

President Trump told reporters Thursday that Iran may have had a role in the FlyDubai incident.

The disclosure appeared in the Journal’s “What’s News” newsletter curated by Amira McKee, Bharbi Hazarika and Liz Webber.