Israeli expert warned of aviation security breach risk prior to Flydubai hijack attempt
October 5, 2026 2 Comments
AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED LAST summer in Mabat Malam, the journal of the Israel Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center, identified “insider threats”, ranging from aircrew members to airport employees, as major dangers to civil aviation. The article, “Terrorist Attacks on Civil Aviation: A Threat That Must Not Be Ignored”, was authored by Danny Shenar, former Director of the Security, Emergency and Cyber Division at Israel’s Ministry of Transport. It was published in July 2026, ahead of the summer vacation season and the expected increase in the number of Israelis traveling abroad.
In his article, Shenar highlights a recognized vulnerability in aviation security: the insider threat. This refers to the danger that someone within the aviation system, with authorization and access to sensitive systems or restricted areas, could exploit authorized access to circumvent security measures. In light of this week’s serious incident on a Flydubai flight to Israel, Shenar’s warnings highlight the need for Israeli professionals responsible for civil aviation security to remain alert to vulnerabilities in the security system. The similarity between the incident and the scenario identified by Shenar does not necessarily mean that the event was a terrorist attack—something that has not yet been established. Rather, the similarity lies in the possibility that the risk may have originated within the system itself, from an individual on the aircraft’s crew with direct access to the cockpit and the aircraft’s systems.
Shenar’s article addresses what he calls “the reliability of personnel authorized to access restricted areas, the ‘Trojan horse'”. While an ordinary passenger undergoes security screening before boarding an aircraft, an airport employee or another person authorized to enter restricted areas may already be on the other side of the security perimeter. If such a person becomes hostile, they may exploit their authorized access to circumvent protective mechanisms. “The insider threat is a significant vulnerability”, Shenar wrote. “A single radical employee is enough to circumvent the entire security system and assist in introducing prohibited materials into restricted areas”. Read more of this post
UNITED STATES AUTHORITIES HAVE charged a Cuban dance teacher living in Russia with conspiracy to finance terrorism. According to the U.S. government, the Cuban national used the online alias “Dios” while coordinating a series of arson attacks across four European countries on behalf of the Russian intelligence services.
TWO MEN HAVE BEEN charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud after allegedly concealing a software company’s Russian ownership from the United States government and trying to work as contractors for the Secret Service. Founded in 1865 and currently operating under the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency with a dual mission of protecting America’s national leaders and investigating financial crimes.
THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT of Justice 
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A MILITARY OFFICER FROM Spain—a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member—has been suspended from duty following an investigation into his relationship with a woman born in the former Soviet Union, amid fears she may have been spying for Moscow.
A CHINESE-BELGIAN NATIONAL and former senior employee at a now-bankrupt microchip manufacturer 
AVNER BARNEA’S 
A CHINESE-OWNED LUXURY hotel in Cyprus has sparked concerns among British intelligence and military officials that it could be 
SOUTH KOREA’S SUPREME COURT has 
GERMAN INVESTIGATORS SUSPECT THAT a hidden weapons cache discovered in a forest near Berlin was intended to be used by Russian intelligence operatives to carry out assassinations on German soil. The discovery of the cache was 
A COUNTERINTELLIGENCE INVESTIGATION INVOLVING five countries has uncovered a network of professionally designed websites offering to hire Western experts as consultants, but which are allegedly part of a Chinese spy operation. Thirteen websites have already been seized by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation in coordination with counterintelligence agencies in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.
GERMANY IS ONE CLOSER to putting in motion the broadest and most wide-reaching reforms of its intelligence services since the end of World War II, which are expected to completely transform the country’s spy agencies. Among other powers, Germany’s two covert intelligence agencies will be given the ability to engage in offensive intelligence that includes carrying out sabotage and offensive information operations abroad.
A CZECH BUSINESSMAN, EMPLOYEE of a Czech radar manufacturer based in China, was detained by Chinese authorities in late June 2026 on suspicion of espionage, it has emerged. 
Germany arrests former BND spy chief on suspicion of espionage, treason
October 7, 2026 by intelNews Leave a comment
These are serious allegations that could have grave consequences for the Germany, given that Hanning was head of the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), Germany’s civilian foreign intelligence service, from 1998 to. 2005. After leaving this position, Hanning served as a Staatssekretär (state secretary—the highest-ranking civil servant) at the Federal Ministry of the Interior. What is publicly known at this time is that Hanning is suspected of having illegally gained access to classified BND information for several years after leaving his position there. He allegedly received this information from his former office manager (Büroleiter), identified only as “Manfred D.”, who has also been arrested.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office, which is in charge of the case, reportedly became aware of Hanning’s suspected activities after it raided a number of private and business premises used by Hanning. The searches took place in connection with a cross-border custody case involving the attempted kidnapping of two children in Denmark on behalf of their mother. Hanning has always denied any involvement in the alleged kidnapping attempt or other wrongdoing related to the custody case.
On the intelligence front, it is now alleged that Hanning and his former colleague, “D.”, agreed as early as 2010 that “D.” would provide material to his former superior. The material found during the investigation indicates that this arrangement continued at least until June 2022. Overall, it appears that Hanning received close to 2,000 documents. “D.” most likely received payments for providing the documents—although the amount is not currently known. The former office manager himself retired in March 2026, after serving as head of office for several of Hanning’s successors.
In at least one case, Hanning appears to have used confidential material (Verschlusssache) to produce an analysis intended for “an agent of a foreign intelligence service”. It is currently unclear whether this analysis was merely drafted, or whether it was also
delivered to the foreign agent. While it is not known which foreign country the intelligence service belongs to, it was almost immediately alleged that it is not Russia. This has the hallmarks of a controlled leak by the German authorities, who presumably wish to advertise this with a very high degree of certainty to the German public and their allies alike.
In another case, Hanning stands accused of having used information from BND documents in his communications with an agent of a foreign power.
Many of the documents and pieces of information provided were intelligence reports prepared for the weekly high-level meeting of Germany’s security services at the Federal Chancellery. Some of the reports are described as highly sensitive, dealing with topics such as the Iranian nuclear program or the Russian Armed Forces. Material from allied intelligence services might also have been handed over to Hanning. Read more of this post
Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with August Hanning, BND, espionage, Germany, Manfred D., News, Paul Schliefsteiner