A former official of Israeli intelligence agency Mossad has described the hijacking of the Israel-bound Flydubai flight on September 30, 2026, as a possible ‘lone wolf’ attack. Speaking on NDTV on Friday (October 2, 2026), Igra said that there is a possibility that the Omani co-pilot on the flight was a ‘radical Muslim’ who was acting alone.
“It looks like it is a lone wolf act… I believe this man was a lone wolf who has gone through Islamic radicalisation,” Igra said. He added that it appears that the Omani co-pilot was not acting along with others or on the direction of any terror group. “It doesn’t look like he was directed by a terror group,” Igra said, adding that “If he was being directed by a terror group, that group needs to face the consequences.”
“Religion is the only thing that can drive someone to commit suicide and take with him to his grave over 170 people,” the former Mossad official said. Citing some reports, Igra said that leaflets supporting the “Palestinian cause in Israel” were found in the Omani co-pilot’s belongings.
In a separate conversation with i24NEWS, Rami Igra said that if the Omani co-pilot has been acting along with others, this will have serious repercussions in the region. “Did he do this as a lone wolf, which I think he did, or was he sent by some other country or by some other organisation, and then it would have a global meaning? It would have a very important meaning to the continuation of the struggle in the Middle East,” Igra said.
He said that the term ‘lone wolf’ should be understood in the context of the religious war that has been going on in the Middle East between Israel and the Muslim countries. He said that attacks like the current one have taken place in the past, where an attacker, who is a devout Muslim, typically wants to achieve martyrdom, a path to reach heaven.
“We should all understand a very important thing in the struggle in the Middle East. The Middle East is the Middle East is suffering from a religious war. Let me reiterate this. It is a religious war. The war between us and the Arab world, where it exists, is a religious war,” Igra said.
“And here we have a devout Muslim who has turned devout in the last couple of months or the last years. A guy who goes to pray several times a day, refrains from touching women’s hands, etc., etc. This guy is a very religious man, and he would see such an act as the way to heaven. This is the path to heaven. You commit, you will become a shahid…” he added.
Notably, the term lone wolf has a regional context. It is used to refer to terrorist attacks carried out by Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank who carry out the attacks unaffiliated with any terror organisation.
Igra said Islamic regimes in the Gulf States are worried about the rise of Islam and the growing popularity of the belief in martyrdom among Muslims. The Islamic countries are concerned that the popularity of the idea of martyrdom would motivate people to carry out similar attacks in the countries.
The Omani co-pilot is currently in the custody of Saudi authorities and is being interrogated. His name and identity have not been disclosed by Saudi authorities. Israeli authorities said that he is an Omani national. Some reports quoted the co-pilot’s colleagues as stating that he was a religious extremist who did not shake hands with women and used to pray excessively every day.
