Retired pilot warns terrorist cells could infiltrate foreign airlines after Dubai cockpit attack

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson, who once carried the nuclear football for Bill Clinton, cautioned that terrorist cells might operate within overseas airlines, referencing the recent FlyDubai incident where a copilot attacked the captain with a crash axe on an Israel-bound flight, leading to an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The 737, carrying 174 passengers and eight crew, is under investigation for possible terrorism or mental-health motives.

Patterson argued that existing background checks often rely on self-reporting and may not detect radicalization, especially given pilots frequently fly with unfamiliar colleagues. He pointed to the cockpit-mounted crash axe as a potential weapon and called on the DOJ and U.S. authorities to examine both domestic hiring practices and the clearance of foreign crews entering U.S. airspace. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the copilot as possibly indoctrinated, while President Donald Trump suggested links to Iran.