Police have reportedly launched investigations into two senior Transportation Ministry officials following security failures connected to last week’s attempted attack aboard flydubai Flight 1073 en route to Tel Aviv, according to Hebrew-language media reports.

Haaretz and Channel 12 reported Wednesday that investigators are examining possible conflicts of interest involving Dvir Rubinstein and Avri Cohen, whose outside activities allegedly overlapped with their official responsibilities at the ministry.

Rubinstein has served for 19 years as the ministry’s aviation security director. Channel 12 reported that he is responsible for issuing security clearances and permits to foreign airlines and flights operating into Israel, including flydubai. The airline’s Dubai-to-Tel Aviv service was targeted last week when its Omani copilot allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft in what was described as a thwarted terror attack.

At the same time, Rubinstein reportedly carried out paid consulting and training for airlines under his oversight, including flydubai and Emirates. According to Channel 12, he traveled to the United Arab Emirates to conduct some of that work. The report also showed certificates from airlines acknowledging training he had provided.

The report raised concerns about the potential conflict created by Rubinstein privately working for airlines whose operations he was officially responsible for supervising.

The Transportation Ministry responded that Rubinstein is an outside contractor rather than a civil servant and said that “his outside business was approved in accordance with the law, and was performed outside the hours of his work for the ministry.”

Cohen, meanwhile, reportedly worked outside his government position as a “reserve security officer” for Israeli airlines at an overseas airport. Haaretz said the outside position was unrelated to his official duties, prompting questions about his ability to focus on a ministry role that includes oversight of foreign airline crews.

Cohen has said that he obtained authorization in 2018 from the ministry’s director at the time to perform outside work. However, Keren Terner, who held that position then, along with two other officials familiar with the matter, told Haaretz that no such approval had been granted. Haaretz also requested documentation from Cohen supporting his claim but did not receive a response.

According to Haaretz, the ministry did not learn about Cohen’s outside employment until approximately eight months ago, when an anonymous complaint prompted an internal inquiry. That investigation reportedly determined that Cohen had been performing outside work since 2018 without authorization.

In a statement issued Monday and quoted by Globes, the ministry said Cohen was required to obtain authorization from the Civil Service Commission before taking outside employment. The ministry said “the ministry’s administration did not pass along any such request with respect to [Cohen], and in any event he didn’t receive permission.”

The ministry further stated that “from the moment the ministry was notified that the employee was involved in outside work, it was made clear to him, in no uncertain terms, that he must immediately stop all outside work as long as he lacks approval.”

The reported police investigations followed additional revelations Tuesday concerning the ministry’s handling of aviation security. Those reports included claims that security officials had offered to increase monitoring of foreign flights but that the proposals were rejected.

Earlier this year, the Transportation Ministry also held internal discussions over which government division should be responsible for security involving foreign and charter flights. The Shin Bet and National Security Council reportedly advocated transferring the responsibility to the Civil Aviation Authority, which is larger and considered better equipped for the task than the ministry’s Security Division. Transportation Minister Miri Regev reportedly rejected the proposal.

The Transportation Ministry and Israel’s security establishment have faced mounting criticism following the attack, particularly over the monitoring of pilots and crew members from countries considered hostile to Israel who were permitted to operate flights into the country.

On September 30, Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, the copilot of flydubai Flight 1073, allegedly attacked the aircraft’s captain, Smit Machchhar. Investigators say al-Hammami attempted to bring down the plane, potentially killing roughly 180 passengers and crew members, most of whom were Israelis.

The attack was ultimately stopped after Machchhar and several Israeli passengers intervened and managed to overpower al-Hammami.