Palestinian United Airlines pilot Ibrahim R. Mossallam is still flying Boeing 757s and 767s nearly three years after he was suspended following his public comments about Hamas’s October 7 attack, which he described as “resistance by brave people” and “not an unprovoked attack.”
United removed him from service with pay in November 2023 while investigating the controversy, but a federal court order later revealed that he was allowed to return to flying after approximately one month.
His anti-Israel posts continued after his return. In May 2024, he described Israel as “nothing more than a racist terror state,” while other posts attributed to him referred to Israelis as “Present Day Nazis.”
Mossallam currently serves as Board Vice-President of Muslim Brotherhood-linked CAIR-New York. His official biography also identifies him as a board member of American Muslims for Palestine-New York and a Muslim American Society-New York Chapter Council member.
His continued employment is facing renewed scrutiny following the terrorist attack aboard FlyDubai, in which the Omani Islamist co-pilot Hammam Al Hammami attacked his captain with a cockpit crash axe and attempted to seize control of a passenger jet bound for Israel and crash it.
The case has brought back attention to the importance of background checks for airline staff, security controls for pilots at the airport and the importance of keeping religious fanatics away from cockpits.