Morning. Steve Moore here. The investigation into the attack aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 now reaches back to the checks that allowed the co-pilot into the cockpit. The Wall Street Journal reports that Oman had barred him from flying over concerns about radical views, but those concerns were not widely shared; flydubai subsequently hired him without contacting Oman to verify his experience.
The Journal’s account also identifies gaps in Israel’s screening of foreign airline crews. Its reporting draws on people familiar with the hiring process and investigation, alongside responses from Israeli authorities; the UAE inquiry remains open.
Elsewhere, Yemen’s Saudi-backed government claims it has regained territory beside the Bab al-Mandab strait and retaken the port of Mokha; the battlefield reports remain unverified. At home, Abu Dhabi’s AI summit opens today, and the UAE faces Saudi Arabia in the Gulf Cup final tonight.
The checks before the cockpit
According to the Journal, Omani authorities had examined the co-pilot’s online activity, removed him from flying duties at Oman Air, sent him through a deradicalisation programme and assigned him a desk job. People familiar with the matter said the concerns were not flagged more broadly to other authorities or airlines.
When flydubai hired him in February, it carried out a criminal-background check but did not contact Oman to vet his experience, the report says. Emirati investigators are examining the role of staff involved in the hiring process, according to people familiar with the investigation.
Israel had received the flight’s passenger and crew list, its Tax Authority told the Journal. But the Transportation Ministry said it did not believe it had the authority or expertise to vet foreign crews and had relied on flydubai’s written undertaking to check pilots’ backgrounds and nationalities.
The ministry said it had not been told it could access the passenger-information database established in 2023. The Journal also reports that a classified 2024 review had warned of weaknesses in the oversight of foreign carriers.
flydubai and the UAE declined to comment while the investigation continues; an Omani government spokeswoman did not immediately respond to the Journal. The paper says investigators had not, at the time of its report, found links to a foreign power or major terrorist organisation.
In a separate report on Monday, Reuters cited two Israeli officials who said the co-pilot had told UAE interrogators that he planned the attack before joining flydubai and had searched for airlines serving Tel Aviv. UAE authorities and flydubai had not responded to Reuters’ requests for comment at the time.
The UAE’s published findings have not confirmed that account of pre-hiring intent. Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi’s statement on Saturday described a planned, attempted terrorist act and said work on the circumstances, motives and any connections was continuing.
Direct flights continue, with fewer choices
For passengers, flydubai’s suspension has changed the route options. Etihad continues to operate between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv, with The National reporting six daily flights in each direction in its Monday guide.
Limited El Al and Arkia services are also operating from Dubai, although they have not fully resumed their regular schedules. Emirates’ Tel Aviv codeshare through flydubai remains suspended; Emirates was not operating its own aircraft on that route.
If your booking is affected, ask the airline which alternative it can confirm before travelling to either airport. A limited repatriation service should not be treated as a normal timetable or a guarantee of a seat.
A disputed advance beside the Red Sea
Shipping faces a separate security test on Yemen’s coast. The internationally recognised government said on Monday that its forces had regained Dhubab district beside the Bab al-Mandab strait, which links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden; the Houthis denied the advance.
The claim followed Sunday’s announcement of “Dawn of Yemen”, a campaign to recover Houthi-held territory. Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, said military formations had been ordered to carry out an approved plan to restore state authority.
The government subsequently said its forces had also retaken the port city of Mokha, which the Houthis captured in September. Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Maliki said 100 fighter jets were supporting the operation, according to Al Jazeera, which said it could not independently verify the battlefield reports.
The Houthis also claimed missile and drone attacks on Aramco sites in Riyadh and Khurais. Saudi Arabia had not confirmed those claims in Reuters’ Monday report.
The fighting places territory beside another major shipping passage in dispute while vessels continue to face risks in Hormuz. On Monday, a tanker reported explosions near Mokha; the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said its crew was safe and that it was investigating the incident, according to The Independent.
Iran claims a US naval retreat
Iran is making its own claims about the military picture. Ali Fadavi, a senior adviser to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said in a television interview on Sunday night that US forces had moved more than 1,000 kilometres from Iran’s borders and that no US vessels remained in the Gulf, Hormuz, the Sea of Oman or the northern Indian Ocean.
The Independent’s report contains no US confirmation. Separately, an unnamed US official told The National that the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group was heading to the region covered by US Central Command, which includes the Middle East.
Those accounts do not establish where the ships are now. A carrier travelling towards the region does not, by itself, disprove a claim about vessels leaving particular waters; neither report provides a verified picture of US naval positions.
Nusseibeh’s name circulates for the UN’s top job
At the United Nations, a different diplomatic contest has drawn an Emirati name into the discussion. Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE minister of state and former ambassador to the UN, has been mentioned as a possible late entrant in the race to become secretary-general.
The Guardian’s Patrick Wintour named her among potential contenders on 21 September, as diplomats considered alternatives if the major powers could not agree on the existing field. Le Temps, in a report published in English by Geneva Solutions on 30 September, also listed her as a potential candidate.
The discussion predates those reports: in June, the specialist UN publication PassBlue cited diplomats saying she might announce a candidacy. Her name did not appear on the UN’s published nomination list when checked on Monday evening.
Burnham’s Manchester ties draw fresh scrutiny
Britain’s relationship with Abu Dhabi also remains under scrutiny after the Manchester City verdict. Writing in The Athletic, Adam Crafton examines how Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s support for investment in Manchester sits alongside the government’s insistence that the club must follow the rules.
The article reports that Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds met City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak within the past month. A government source denied that the City verdict was discussed at the meeting. Al Mubarak also leads Mubadala, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign investment company.
After Burnham said he would be concerned to lose City’s owners, Downing Street clarified its position: “Wherever wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences.” City continues to deny wrongdoing and has appealed.
Our weekend explainer, “Manchester City, Abu Dhabi and the stakes for Britain”, sets out the ownership, investment and regulatory questions behind the dispute. It is written for readers following the story beyond football.
More crude is leaving the region
Commercial shipping data offer a different measure of activity. Reuters reports that Middle Eastern crude exports exceeded their pre-conflict levels on four days in the final week of September, despite attacks on vessels using Hormuz.
KCM Trade analyst Tim Waterer said Saudi volumes were moving back towards their earlier levels, though at higher cost and along less efficient routes. A recovery in barrels shipped therefore does not establish that transport costs or security risks have returned to normal.
Brent was quoted at $99.96 a barrel, down $2.29, at 8.30 pm London on Monday. The G7’s agreed reserve release is due to run over four months, with substantial diesel supplies front-loaded into the first 20 days.
Hotels look for a winter recovery
For hotels, the question is whether visitors will return as the peak season begins. Bloomberg reports that analysts expect a fourth-quarter improvement in Marriott and Hilton’s Middle Eastern revenue per available room compared with the disrupted second quarter, while business remains well below pre-conflict levels.
That measure combines room prices and occupancy; it is not the same as total company revenue or visitor numbers. The forecast reflects recovery from a weak quarter, not evidence that the region has already regained its previous demand level.
EnterpriseAM identifies Dubai and Abu Dhabi among the expected beneficiaries and reports plans for European airlines to restore capacity. Those plans are worth following, but actual flights and bookings will provide a firmer test of the winter season.
Abu Dhabi opens its AI showcase
One event bringing visitors to the capital this week is AI Everything, which opens today at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and runs through Wednesday. Its programme includes Mistral AI co-founder Arthur Mensch and Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert.
Abu Dhabi’s stated aim is to become an AI-native government by 2027, integrating more than 40 government entities into a system built around artificial intelligence. The National reports that more than 100 AI uses are already live across public services; the wider 2027 ambition remains a target.
The UAE is also discussing the technology behind those ambitions with Washington. WAM reported on Monday that Assistant Foreign Minister Omran Sharaf had met White House science adviser Michael Kratsios and other US officials to discuss AI, cybersecurity and advanced technologies.
The meetings included talks on post-quantum cryptography: methods intended to protect information against future quantum-computing attacks. WAM’s account describes cooperation and discussions, not a newly signed technology agreement.
The final is tonight
At 10 pm UAE time, attention turns to Jeddah, where the national team face hosts Saudi Arabia in the Gulf Cup final. Victory would give the UAE their first title since 2013.
Coach Zlatko Dalic acknowledged the Saudis’ home advantage but said his team were ready. “This is a difficult challenge for us, but we are ready, and our goal is the title,” he said on Monday.
What to watch today
FZ1073: Responses to the Journal’s reporting and any published findings on recruitment, information-sharing and crew screening.
Red Sea: Independent confirmation of who controls Dhubab, Mokha and the approaches to Bab al-Mandab, plus further maritime incident reports.
Diplomacy: Verified US responses on naval deployments and any agreement on steps to ease the Hormuz stand-off.
AI Everything: Announcements that identify services already operating, rather than demonstrations or future targets.
Tonight: The UAE–Saudi Arabia final at 10 pm UAE time.
If you’re new to Emirates Wire, subscribe for a weekday briefing on the UAE and its neighbours. If this edition helps someone you know make sense of the latest developments, please forward it.
Thanks for reading. Tell me what you think, flag a correction or send a story to steve@emirateswire.co.uk.
Enjoy the final if you’re watching tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow with the result and the next developments in the stories above.
Steve
AUTHOR'S NOTE AND COMMENT INVITATION: I've written and edited this edition to separate what the reporting establishes from what investigators still need to explain. What should I follow up? Leave me a comment, reply to this email or write to steve@emirateswire.co.uk.
Emirates Wire uses AI tools to assist with research, early drafting, fact-checking and copy-editing. Steve Moore reviews, edits and personally approves every sentence before publication.