Stating the obvious this points to some breakdown in the security screening process by the GCAA of the UAE. Working for an airline in the UAE requires undergoing a security screening, which according to the published criteria is supposed to weed out people like the Omani pilot. Maybe he slipped through because he is a GCC-National, but while these don't have to go through the work-visa process, they still have to go through security screening.
The other issue is, that there seems to have been a screwup in the rostering. I read in some article, that the cockpit crew of flights from the UAE to TLV are staffed with people outside muslim countries to avoid potential "conflicts of interest". That obviously didn't happen here.
As another example, we are flying to Vietnam in January. Obviously, we had plenty of options. We ruled out the Middle East carriers when we booked a few months ago … price, politics and all the shooting. Chaos can occur anywhere, but why subject ourselves to all that?
SNIC seems to think this is not a terrorist plot. Can't possibly be that naive, can he? Since the UAE had some connection to the 9/11 terrorists there is obviously an underground terrorist cell involved. Further investigation hopefully will find out how this person was first hired and then how he was able to be scheduled on the flight.
Yes, Martha, this was a terrorist attack without any doubt. Perhaps the first officer was not that convinced he wanted to die and then panicked at the last minute as time ran out on the flight.