United Airlines has once again removed Capt. Ibrahim R. Mossallam from flying duties after renewed scrutiny revealed that the pilot, who defended the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre as “resistance by a brave people,” had returned to flying passengers following a brief suspension nearly three years ago.

The airline confirmed Tuesday that Mossallam is currently being kept out of the cockpit while another review is underway. “We have withheld this pilot from service pending an ongoing review,” United said.

The new action follows reports this week that Mossallam, a Newark-based United pilot who flies Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft, had continued operating passenger flights despite the controversy that erupted over comments he posted on Oct. 7, 2023, as the Hamas massacre was unfolding in southern Israel.

In the Facebook post that originally sparked outrage, Mossallam wrote, “For all my friends here in FB land with Questions / Thoughts / Assumptions / Critique about whats [sic] transpiring in Palestine currently in response to the Zionist occupation, please work on expanding your media literacy. Know that mass media here in America is heavily politicized and skewed to show a non-occupying narrative of Palestine. This is a resistance by a brave people who have endured decades of occupation, oppression, humiliation, apartheid, and straight up murder. This was not an unprovoked attack, but a response to this past years attacks by the Zionist regime. Don’t take my word, do your due diligence in acquiring your information.”

The comments drew widespread condemnation after they came to public attention in November 2023, with critics questioning how passengers — particularly Jewish and Israeli travelers — could feel comfortable knowing that a pilot entrusted with their safety had publicly characterized the Oct. 7 assault in those terms.

United responded at the time by removing Mossallam from active duty while investigating. “This pilot has been removed from service, with pay, while we look into this matter,” the airline said in November 2023.

What happened after that, however, remained largely out of public view. United did not announce the findings of its investigation or explain whether Mossallam had been cleared to return to the cockpit.

A federal court order issued in June 2025 later provided an important clue. The order, in an unrelated lawsuit filed against United and a union, recounted an allegation that Mossallam had been suspended with pay following his Oct. 7 comments but returned to flying approximately one month later. The court itself was not making a finding about Mossallam’s conduct or United’s investigation; it was recounting allegations in the litigation.

Additional reporting in 2025 indicated that Mossallam remained employed by United, while reports this year said that he was continuing to fly Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft for the carrier. United does not operate those aircraft on its Israel routes.

Mossallam also serves as vice president of the board of CAIR-New York, the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The controversy erupted anew this week when Israeli journalist Libby Blanca Alon reported that Mossallam was still actively flying for United and publicly pressed the airline to explain why he had been permitted to return to the cockpit.

Alon subsequently reported an even more striking allegation: two United pilots who were deadheading on a flight operated by Mossallam after his return to duty reportedly gave up their first-class seats and remained in the cockpit for the entire flight because they did not trust him and wanted to keep an eye on him.

That allegation is based on sources cited by Alon and has not been independently confirmed by United. The airline has not publicly addressed the claim involving the two pilots.

Alon also reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that United had wanted to terminate Mossallam but was prevented from doing so by the pilots’ union. That allegation likewise has not been publicly confirmed by United or the union.

The renewed scrutiny comes at an especially sensitive moment for airline security following the Sept. 30 attack aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when its co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with a cockpit crash axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft. The wounded captain was able to open the cockpit door, and others aboard intervened before the aircraft ultimately landed safely in Saudi Arabia.

Authorities have characterized the flydubai incident as a terrorist act, and investigators have been examining reports that the co-pilot had previously raised concerns over extremist material and had allegedly planned his attack before joining an airline that operated flights to Israel.

There is no evidence that Mossallam was involved in the flydubai incident, and the two cases are entirely separate. There is also no public evidence that Mossallam has threatened passengers, attempted to interfere with an aircraft or planned any act of violence. The controversy surrounding him concerns his public statements about the Oct. 7 massacre and United’s handling of his employment and return to flying.

Still, the flydubai attack has intensified questions about how airlines evaluate warning signs involving flight crews and what standards should apply when a pilot makes public statements appearing to endorse or rationalize mass violence.

Nearly three years after Mossallam’s original suspension, United has never publicly disclosed what its first investigation determined, why he was returned to flying duties or what standards were used in reaching that decision.

Now, following the renewed attention, Mossallam is once again out of the cockpit — at least while United conducts its latest review. “We have withheld this pilot from service pending an ongoing review,” the airline said.