Report: Flydubai co-pilot barred from flying by his native Oman

The FlyDubai co-pilot who officials said nearly crashed a Tel Aviv-bound flight with 182 people aboard was barred from flying by his native Oman over concerns he had adopted extremist views, a person familiar with the matter said Saturday.

The co-pilot was subsequently hired by the United Arab Emirates-based airline, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. It was not immediately clear to what extent he was vetted when he was hired in the Emirates. Oman's move to bar the co-pilot from flying was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The attack left the region's travel industry in crisis, raising questions about aviation security and further unsettling a Middle East already shaken by the U.S.-Iran war. A regional investigation is underway.

The United Arab Emirates has canceled all flights to Israel, complicating travel for hundreds of passengers who fly between the countries on a typical day. Israel and the UAE agreed on repatriation flights, beginning Friday, to bring back passengers stranded in the UAE after commercial travel between the two countries was suspended, according to an Israeli official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The first repatriation flight left the UAE shortly before 11 p.m. and landed in Tel Aviv just after 1 a.m., according to the Ben Gurion International Airport website.

The airport listed carriers Arkia and Israir with flights scheduled to arrive from Dubai early Saturday. El Al was expected to fly passengers from Dubai to Israel on Sunday.

Dubai has been a popular destination for Israelis since Israel and the UAE established ties in 2020 as part of the Trump administration's Abraham Accords to normalize ties between Israel and Arab countries.

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that early information he's received suggests links between the attack and Tehran but did not elaborate. Trump also said that if it is determined that Iranian agents were behind the attack, the United States will "hit them very hard."

Israeli investigators are involved in the probe but the Emiratis are in the lead, according to an official who wasn't authorized to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. It's unclear if the attacker was part of a group, said the official, adding that there is currently no evidence of a link with Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the co-pilot had undergone "Islamist radicalization," but has provided no evidence to back the assertion.

"We are now investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price," Netanyahu said in a video message on Friday.