FlyDubai attack sparks new concerns about threats

KAYLEIGH: FOX NEWS ALERT, NEW. DETAILS ABOUT THAT TERRIFYING. ATTACK ABOARD A FLYDUBAI FLIGHT. BOUND FOR ISRAEL, THE CO-PILOT. HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS HAMAN. AL-HAMMAMI. A SOURCE TELLS FOX HE HAD. PREVIOUSLY BEEN BANNED BY OMAN. AIR AFTER IT WAS DISCOVERED HE. VISITED RADICAL ACE LAMMIST WEB.

SITES -- ISLAMIST WEB SITES. DESPITE THIS, THEY DID NOT CHECK. ON THE CO-PILOT BEFORE THEY. HIRED HIM. HE USED A CRASH AXE DURING THAT. EVENT IN ON WEDNESDAY FROM THE. COCKPIT TO ATTACK THE CAPTAIN. AND TRY TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE. PLANE IN WHAT AUTHORITIES ARE. DESCRIBING AS AN ATTEMPTED. TERRORIST ATTACK. PASSENGERS AND CREW EVENTUALLY. SUBDUED HIM AND HELPED HIM TO. BEGIN CONTROL OF THE PLANE. IT WAS DIVERTED AND MADE AN. EMERGENCY LANDING IN SAUDI. ARABIA. INVESTIGATORS ARARE TRYING TO. DETERMINE HIS MOTIVE AND WHETHER.

HE ACTED ALONE OR HAD. CONNECTIONS TO AN EXTREMIST. GROUP. JOINING ME NOW, GORDON SONLAND. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU ALSO HAD. AVIATION EXPERIENCE. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS NEW. DETAIL THAT HE USED AN EMERGENCY. AXE, THE CO-PILOT, TO ATTACK THE. OTHER PAYMENT? >> WELL, THERE'S NOTHING --. PILOT? >> WELL, THERE'S NOTHING MORE. TERRIFYING TO ANY FLIGHT CREW. MEMBER THAN HAVING TO WORRY. ABOUT ONE OF THEIR FELLOW CREW. MEMBERS HAVING, YOU KNOW, ILLICIT MOTIVES.

IT'S ONE THING TO WORRY ABOUT. WHATAT YOU'RE CARRYING IN A CARO. COMPARTMENT OR WHAT A PASSENGER. MIGHT DO, HAVE THEY BEEN. PROPERLY SCREENED. BUT WHEN THE PERSON SITTING NEXT. TO YOU IN THE COCKPIT IS A. POTENTIAL THREAT, IT CHANGES THE. ENTIRE GAME. AND IT REALLY GOES TO SHOW WHAT. KIND OF VETTING IS GOING TO HAVE. TO BE DONENE IN THE FUTURE BEYOD. JUST THE NORMAL CRIMINAL. BACKGROUND CHECKS AND HEALTH. CHECKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I MEAN, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HAVE. TO DIVE DEEP INTO FLIGHT CREWS'.

BACKGROUND TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE. NOT A THREAT TO THE SAFETY OF. THE FLIGHT. KAYLEIGH: AMBASSADOR, WHEN I. LOOK AT THIS, BOTH THE UAE AND. ISRAEL SAY THIS IS A TERRORIST. INCIDENT. PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID IF IRAN IS. INVOLVED, HE WILL HIT THEM VERY. HARD. DO YOU SURMISE -- I KNOW YOU. WON'T SHARE INTELLIGENCE, BUT DO. YOU SURMISE THAT IRAN IS. INVOLVED? >> I HAVE NO IDEA AT THIS POINT, KAYLEIGH, AND IT WOULD BE WILD. SPECULATION ON MY PART. I DON'T THINK IT'S A WASTE OF. TIME TO DEEPLY PROBE THAT.

PARTICULAR QUESTION BECAUSE THEY. COULD BE INVOLVED VERY, VERY. INDIRECTLY. BUT STILL SUPPORTING A NETWORK. OF QUALIFIED FLIGHT CREW WHICH. JUST, IT TERRIFIES ME TO SIT. HERE AND EVEN THINK THAT. THERE ARE FLIGHT CREWS FLYING. AROUND IN THE COMMERCIAL. AVIATION SYSTEM THAT ARE. ESSENTIALLY SLEEPERS THAT ARE. GOING TO BE WOKEN UP AND TOLD TO. DISRUPT THE FLIGHT. KAYLEIGH: WELL, THERE WAS -- OH, GO AHEAD. >> NO. I'M SAYING SO WE'RE GOING TO.

HAVE TO DO SOMETHING THAT WE'VE. NEVER CONTEMPLATED WHICH IS THIS. ISN'T ABOUT CHECKING THE MENTAL. HEALTH AFTER SOMEONE WHO MIGHT. BE SUICIDAL, THIS IS ABOUT. CHECKING SOMEONE WHO HAS. DEFINITE, HAS A DEFINITE PLAN AT. SOME POINT IN THEIR CAREER TO. ABRUPTLY END A FLIGHT RESULTING. IN THE DEATHS OF MANY. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT. FRIGHTENS ME. KAYLEIGH: INDEED. AND ANOTHER FRIGHTENING. SITUATION THAT, THANKFULLY, WAS. ALERTED WAS APPARENTLY A. U.K.-IRANIAN DUAL NATIONAL WHO. WAS ARRESTED OVER A ROYAL AIR.

FORCE FAIRFORD INCIDENT. HE HAD A PLAN TO INFLICT DAMAGE. THERE. U.K. PRIME MINISTER ANDY BURNHAM. CAME OUT AND SAID THERE'S STRONG. INDICATIONS THAT IRAN PLAYED A. PART. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT? >> WELL, THAT ONE, I THINK, IS A. LITTLE BIT MORE FULLY DEVELOPED. AND IRAN IS PLAYING A PART. AND THIS IS WHAT GALLS ME ABOUT. THE GENERAL EUROPEAN REACTION TO. WHAT WE'RE DOING IN IRAN. IRAN IS CAUSING MISCHIEF ALL. OVER THE CONTINENT. THEY WERE DOING IT WHEN I SERVED. AS AMBASSADOR, OUR INTELLIGENCE.

SERVICES WERE CONSTANTLY PLAYING. WHACK MOLE TRYING TO UNCOVER. THESE THINGS. WHACK-A-MOLE. AND YET WHEN WE ASKED FOR EVEN. THE LITTLEST OF HELP IN. PROSECUTING THIS WAR AGAINST. IRAN, EVEN JUST SAYING WE STAND. WITH YOU IN SOLIDARITY, WE GET. THE COLD SHOULDER WHICH IS. REALLY, REALLY IRON EC. KAYLEIGH: -- IRONIC. KAYLEIGH: ONE THING I WANT TO. POINT OUT TO THE MIRACLE WE SAW. ON WEDNESDAY, SAUDI ARABIA. ALLOWING AN ISRAELI PLANE --. RATHER, A UAE PLANE WITH.

ISRAELIS ON IT TO LAND IN SAUDI, I DON'T KNOW THAT HAPPENS BUT. FOR THE DIPLOMATIC W WORK THAT. CAME IN THE TRUMP. ADMINISTRATION, THE. NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS. BETWEEN ISRAEL AND THE UAE. THERE WAS TREMENDOUS WORK DONE. TO BETTER THE RELATIONSHIP WITH. SAUDI ARABIA. HOW MUCH DOES THIS DIPLOMACY. HELP TO CREATE A MOMENT LIKE. WHAT WE SAW WEDNESDAY? >> WELL, BEFORE I ANSWER THAT. QUESTION, YOU KNOW, THE FLIGHT. WAS ORIGINALLY -- THE REPORTS. ARE THAT THE FLIGHT WAS. ORIGINALLY TURNED AWAY FROM. SAUDI ARABIA AND DIRECTED TO. JORDAN. AND THEN JORDAN TURNED IT AWAY.

AND DIRECTED IT BACK THE SAUDI. ARABIA, AND I THINK SOMEONE, YOU. KNOW, IN THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL. CENTER WHO TOOK THE CALL FROM. THE AIRPLANE FINALLY SAW THE. WISDOM OF SAYING, YES, YOU CAN. LAND AT THIS BASE. I DON'T THINK THIS CAME FROM ON. HIGH IN SAUDI ARABIA, BUT THIS. SHOWS YOU HOW FRIGHTENED THE. RANK AND FILE IS OF, YOU KNOW, CREATING ANOTHER INTERNATIONAL. INCIDENT. AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A LITTLE. DISAPPOINTING THAT WHOEVER THE. CONTROLLER WAS DIDN'T JUST SAY,

OF COURSE, WE'LL HELP YOU. IT TOOK A LITTLE WHILE. SO ASK ME AGAIN THE QUESTION, KAYLEIGH? KAYLEIGH: THE ABE HIM A --. ABRAHAM ACCORDS AND THE WORK. THAT WENT INTO FACILITATE THING. THE COOPERATION WE SAW ON. WEDNESDAY. >> WELL, I WOULD SAY THAT THE. ABRAHAM ACCORDS WERE ONE OF THE. FACTORS EVEN THOUGH THE SAUDIS. ARE NOT A SIGNATORY. ONE OF THE FACTORS THAT CREATED. THIS SORT OF TEAMWORK SITUATION. THERE IS A LOT OF TEAMWORK GOING. ON RIGHT NOW BETWEEN THE MIDDLE. EASTERN COUNTRIES, SAUDI,

KUWAIT, THE UAE, BAHRAIN AND. OTHERS AND ISRAEL. IT'S HAPPENING ALL THE TIME, EVERY DAY BEHIND THE SCENES IN. INTELLIGENCE SHARING, MANY. MILITARY ASSISTANCE, STUFF THAT. DOESN'T, YOU KNOW, MAKE THE. FRONT PAGE. AND IT DOESN'T MAKE THE FRONT. PAGE ON PURPOSE. BUT IT'S REALLY A LOT OF. TEAMWORK TO TRY AND THWART THE.