United Airlines has removed a pilot from flight duty pending an internal review, nearly three years after suspending him over social media comments about the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel.
The airline confirmed that Captain Ibrahim R. Mossallam has been removed from flight duty but has not explained what prompted the latest review or whether it involves any new posts he made.
“We have withheld this pilot from service pending an ongoing review,” United said in a statement.
Mossallam first drew public criticism in November 2023, when a Facebook post describing the October 7 attacks as “resistance by a brave people” circulated online. He also wrote that the attacks were “not unprovoked.”
United removed him from duty with pay while investigating. He later returned to flying, although accounts differ on how long he was off duty. The airline has not publicly explained the findings of that investigation or its decision to allow him to resume flying.
The case attracted attention again this week after Israeli Channel 14 journalist Libby Blanca Alon questioned why Mossallam remained in the cockpit.
The scrutiny follows the September 30, 2026, incident aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073, during which a first officer allegedly attacked the captain and tried to take control of the aircraft on a flight to Tel Aviv before passengers intervened. The aircraft diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Alon reported that two United pilots traveling as passengers on a flight operated by Mossallam gave up their first-class seats to sit in the cockpit because they wanted to monitor him. She also reported that United had sought to fire him but that the pilots’ union intervened.
Neither allegation has been independently verified. The reporting does not identify the flight, its date or the two pilots. United has not publicly addressed those claims.
Reports that Mossallam had already returned to flying after his latest removal have also been disputed. Travel website DansDeals said on October 7, 2026, that United had denied an Israeli media report claiming he was back on duty.
Mossallam reportedly flies Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft for United. The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights organization, lists Mossallam as its board vice president.