Omani nationalist FlyDubai attacker was previously FLAGGED

>> FROM THAT MOMENT, THE. AIRPLANE WAS GOING DOWN RAPIDLY, AND IT WAS LIKE, IT FELT LIKE. 9/11, FOR SURE. AISHAH: NEW RIGHT NOW, THE OMANI. NATIONAL CO-PILOT ACCUSED OF. ATTACKING THE CAPTAIN WITH AN. AXE AND TRYING TO CRASH THAT FLY. DUBAI PLANE HAS NOW BEEN. IDENTIFIED AS A RADICALIZED.

PERSON. HE WAS PREVIOUSLY BARRED FROM. HIS OWN COUNTRY'S AIRLINE. BECAUSE OF CONCERNS OVER. EXTREMIST VIEWS. FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT JEFF PAUL. IS LIVE IN TEL AVIV WITH THE. VERY LATEST. HI, JEFF. >> Reporter: HEY, AISHAH. ACCORDING TO PEOPLE FAMILIAR. WITH THE MATTER WHO HAVE SPOKEN. TO FOX NEWS, THE SUSPECT HAD. PREVIOUSLY BEEN HIRED BY OMAN. AIR BUT WAS LATER GROUNDED OVER. SUSPICION OF HIS ACTIVITIES. EXACTLY WHAT THOSE ACTIVITIES. ENTAILED, THAT HAS NOT BEEN. DISCLOSED YET. BUT EVENTUALLY HE WAS GIVEN A. GROUND JOB WITH OMAN AIR.

LATER MOVED TO DUBAI WHERE HE. EVENTUALLY BECAME A PILOT FOR. FLYDUBAI. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HAS. IDENTIFIED THE PILOT AS HAMAN. AL-HAMMAMI AND THE REPORTING. THAT HE WAS BORN IN THE UAE AND. HIS MOTHER IS FROM SYRIA, BUT HE. WAS ABLE TO OBTAIN TO OMANI. CITIZENSHIP THROUGH HIS FATHER. THE EMIRATIS, WHO ARE LEADING. THE INVESTIGATION, SAY THE. SUSPECT ATTACKED THE CAPTAIN. USING AN AXE THAT'S TYPICALLY. KEPT IN THE COCKPIT FOR MORE. THANKINGS. THE UAE'S ATTORNEY GENERAL.

SAYING SUSPECT TRIED TO TAKE. CONTROL OF THE PLANE, ATTEMPTING. TO CARRY OUT WHAT THEY'RE. CALLING A TERRORIST ATTACK. THEY'RE WORKING TO DETERMINE IF. HE WAS WORKING WITH ANYONE ELSE. OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOME SORT. OF FOREIGN ENTITY. ISRAEL IS INVOLVED IN THE. INVESTIGATION WITH PRIME. MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU. RECENTLY SAYING THIS --. >> THE ATTACKER UNDERWENT. ISLAMIST RADICALIZATION. >> TRANSLATOR: HE INTENDED THE. CRASH THE PLANE ALONG WITH ITS. PASSENGERS. WE ARE INVESTIGATING NOW WHETHER. HE WAS SENT AND WHOEVER SENT HIM. WILL PAY A HIGH PRICE.

>> Reporter: MEANWHILE, THE. CAPTAIN WHO WAS ALLEGEDLY. ATTACKED BY HIS CO-PILOT, HE'S. BEING CALLED A HERO TODAY BY. MANY PEOPLE INCLUDING INDIA'S. PRIME MINISTER MODI WHO SPOKE TO. HIM YESTERDAY ABOUT HIS BRAVERY. FOR OPENING UP THE COCKPIT DOOR. TO ALLOW ALL THOSE ISRAELIS IN. TO HELP SAVE THE DAY. HE IS CONTINUING TO RECOVER AT A. HOSPITAL IN ABU DHABI. AISHAH? AISHAH: JEFF PAUL REPORTING LIVE. FOR US, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> AT THAT MOMENT, I WAS. FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE.

>> TRANSLATOR: I'VE BEEN A PILOT. FOR 17 YEARS. I'VE BEEN A CAPTAIN FOR THE. PAST11 YEARS. I KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING IN A. FLIGHT EVEN WITH MY EYES CLOSED. AISHAH: WOW. THAT IS THAT HEROIC PILOT. LET'S BRING IN FOX NEWS. CONTRIBUTOR HUGH HEWITT. HUGH, THIS STORY GETS MORE AND. MORE CRAZY. LET ME FIRST GET YOUR REACTION. TO THIS BREAKING NEWS TODAY THAT. THIS GUY, THIS PILOT, WAS BANNED. FROM HIS HOME COUNTRY OF OMAN. FOR HAVING EXTREMIST VIEWS AND. SOMEHOW GOT A JOB FLYING.

SOMEWHERE ELSE. >> YOU ARE STARTLED BY THE SAME. THING I AM, AISHAH. GOOD AFTERNOON TO YOU. I READ THAT STORY THIS MORNING. THAT WE NOW HAVE FOUR. GOVERNMENTS, OMAN, UAE, ISRAEL. AND THE UNITED STATES, SAYING. HE'S A TERRORIST AND PROBABLY. GOT TIES TO IRAN. SO I SENT A NOTE OFF, I HAVEN'T. HEARD BACK YET, TO ONE OF MY. A.I. BUDDIES, DON'T WE HAVE A. SYSTEM THAT CORRECTS -- CONNECTS. THE DOTS AGAINST ALL AIR PILOTS? THAT DOES SEEM TO BE A GAPING.

HOLE. IF YOU'VE BEEN DQ'D FOR. RADICALIZATION IN OMAN, YOU. OUGHT TO BE DQ'D EVERYWHERE THAT. PLANES FLY. BECAUSE THERE ARE -- I THINK. BETWEEN 100-110 AIR FLIGIGHT --. 100-110,000 AIR FLIGHTS EVERY. DAY, AND WE'VE OTT GOT TO. KNOW -- THERE'S GOT TO BE A. BETTER WAY THAN PAPERWORK. FOLLOWING PEOPLE TOO LATE. AISHAH: IT JUST MAKES OMAN LOOK. TERRIBLE IN THIS MOMENT, THAT. THEY COULDN'T HAVE FLAGGED THIS.

GUY TO REST OF THE -- TO THE. REST OF THE REGION. THIS IS BENJAMIN NETANYAHU THE. OTHER DAY TALKING ABOUT HOW HE'S. BEEN HAVING TROUBLE RIGHT NOW. WITH THE NEW OMAN. ADMINISTRATION. WATCH. >> THE LATE SULTAN, THE LEADER. OF OMAN, INVITED ME A FEW YEARS. AGO TO JOIN HIM. THIS WAS AN EXTENSION, I THINK, OR BEGINNING OF THE EXTENSION OF. THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS WHICH. PRESIDENT TRUMP AND I WORKED ON. I'M SURE THAT HAD HE LIVED, WE.

WOULD HAVE HAD ANOTHER PARTNER. IN THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS. THE NEW REGIME IS STANDOFFISH, SO IS I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT. THEM AS YET. AISHAH: THE NEW REGIME IS. STANDOFFISH, SAYS BIBI. HUGH, WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO. THIS? >> THEY HAVE BEEN OFF AND ON. VERY STRONGLY WITH THE UNITED. STATES IN THE BATTLE WITH IRAN. OFTEN THEY'VE BEEN ON OUR SIDE. AND HELPING US ESTABLISH THE. OMAN CHANNEL AND SOMETIMES. THEY'VE BEEN IN NEGOTIATIONS. WITH THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT. ABOUT A TOLL BOOTH.

I LIKE TO THINK THAT THAT LATTER. IS SIMPLY A HEAD FAKE TO THE. IRANIANS SO THAT THEY CAN. CONTINUE TO COOPERATE. IT IS CLEAR AFTER THIS WEEK THAT. THE UNITED STATES AND ITS ALLIES. HAVE TRIUMPHED IN THE BATTLE OF. HORMUZ. THE OIL IS COMING OUT. THE IRANIANS ARE UNABLE TO. INTERDICT IT. SO MAYBE OMAN HAS COME BACK TO. OUR SIDE. BUT I TAKE THE PRIME MINISTER AT. HIS WORD. HE'S BEEN DOING THIS A LONG. TIME. HE'S VERY ATTUNED TO SUBTLE. CHANGES IN GOVERNMENT ATTITUDE. IT WAS INTERESTING, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT SAUDI ARABIA ALLOWED THE.

PLANE TO LAND, BUT THEY WOULDN'T. ALLOW ISRAELI PLANES TO COME AND. PICK THEM UP. IT'S A DELICATE DANCE IN THE. MIDDLE EAST. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, EVERYBODY IS AGAINST IRAN RIGHT. NOW, AND THAT GOVERNMENT'S ON. THE ROPES. SO THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS. AISHAH: OKAY. LET'S KEEP TALKING ABOUT IRAN. IT'S GOING TO BE AN ISSUE ON. VOTERS' MINDS WHEN THEY GO TO. VOTE IN THE MIDTERMS. WHETHER OR NOT IT TURNS, MEANS. THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A. DEMOCRATIC WAVE, WE DON'T KNOW. YET. BUT THE PRESIDENT ACTUALLY THIS. WEEK ADMITTED, ACKNOWLEDGED THAT.

IT COULDLD BE A PROBLEM FOR. REPUBLICANS IN THE MIDTERMS. HERE HE IS RESPONDING TO A. QUESTION ABOUT, ACTUALLY. COMMENTS FROM HIS OWN. DAUGHTER-IN-LAW ABOUT THIS. WATCH. >> [INAUDIBLE]. THE IRAN WAR --. [INAUDIBLE]. SAID THAT LAST NIGHT. DO YOU AGREE WITH HER OR. DISAGREE? >> WELL, IT'S POSSIBLE. IT SHOULD HELP BECAUSE IRAN WILL. NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. SO WHEN YOU SAY IS IT OKAY FOR. IRAN TO HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, I. WOULD SAY 100% OF THE PEOPLE SAY.

NO, INCLUDING WORLDWIDE. SO WHEN YOU SAY IT THAT WAY, IT. WOULD HELP. IF YOU DON'T SAY THAT, IT COULD. HURT, YEAH. AISHAH: HUGH, HOW DO YOU THINK. THIS IS GOING TO GO WITH IRAN? >> I THINK, FRAMED CORRECTLY, PRESIDENT TRUMP IS CORRECT. CORRECT FRAMING FOR THIS IS IRAN. HAS BEEN A A MENACE TORT WORLD. FOR 47 YEARS. D -- TO THE WORLD. INDEED ON THE WHOLE WORLD. IT'S THE FANATICISM TAX. DONALD TRUMP HAS TAKEN ON AND.

DESTROYED THEIR NUCLEAR WEAPON. PROGRAM, HE HAS TAKEN ON THEIR. CLOSING OF THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ, AND THE AMERICAN MILITARY HAS. WORKED ITS WILL AND NOW THE. STRAIT IS OPEN TO. IRAN IS REELING. THEY'RE OUT OF MONEY, THEY DON'T. HAVE ANY FRIENDS LEFT. THEY TICKED OFF EVERYONE IN THE. GULFFUL SO IF A VOTER IS. MOTIVATED BY THE IRAN BATTLE, THEY'RE GOING TO BE MOTIVATED TO. VOTE REPUBLICAN BECAUSE. DEMOCRATS ARE JUST NOT SERIOUS. ABOUT NATIONAL SECURITY. AND IT'S VERY HARD TO ARARGUE WH. THAT POINT OF VIEW WITH ANY. DEMOCRAT. THEY HAVEN'T PASSED THE. APPROPRIATIONS THAT WAS. NECESSARY. THEY CONDEMNED THE BATTLE WITH.

IRAN EVEN THOUGH PRESIDENT. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OBAMA, PRESIDENT BIDEN ALL SAID THEY. WOULD GET IRAN WHEN THEY GOT. CLOSE TO A NUCLEAR WEAPON. SO I BELIEVE AMERICANS WHO CARE. ABOUT THE IRAN BATTLE E WILL. REWARD DONALD TRUMP FOR SEEING. IT THROUGH. AND IF THERE'S ANOTHER BREAKOUT. OF HOSTILITIES BETWEEN NOW AND. ELECTION DAY, I THINK THAT WOULD. REDOUND TO THE PRESIDENT'S. GOODWILL AT THE VOTING BOOTH AS. WELL. HE'S WON THIS WAR. IT TAKES A WHILE FOR THAT TO. SINK IN. AISHAH: YEAH. I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT.

YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS ON THE. TRAIL IN OKLAHOMA THIS WEEK, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HIS. SUPPORTERS SAID. THIS IS DEEP RED COUNTRY, AND. THEY SAID WE KNOW THAT THIS. SHOULD HAVE WRAPPED A LONG TIME. AGO, BUT WE ALSO TRUST WHAT THE. PRESIDENT IS DOING WITH IRAN. SO THEY ARE IN IT FOR THE LONG. HAUL, HOWEVER LONGS THIS TAKE, MAYBE AFTER THE MIDTERMS. HUGH, GREAT TO HAVE YOU AGAIN. GREAT TO SEE Y.