The investigation into the case of attack and attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight covering the route between Dubai and Tel Aviv took on new dimensions this Friday October 2nd after The Wall Street Journal and cnn learned new details from sources familiar with the investigations into the incident.
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The new reports indicated that the co-pilot accused of attacking the plane’s captain with a knife He was identified as Hamam al-Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani citizen..
According to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, al-Hammami had been banned from working as a pilot in Oman before being hired by Flydubai.
He is the captain who was attacked by Hamam al-Hammami. Photo:Capture LinkedIn
The newspaper exclusively noted that Omani authorities had concerns about possible radicalization of the then aviation worker. Despite this background, he was later able to join the airline based in the United Arab Emirates and be part of the crew of flight FZ1073, which on Wednesday, September 30, left Dubai bound for Tel Aviv.
According to the report of the Journalpeople familiar with the matter indicated that the co-pilot had been “unable to fly” in Oman due to concerns about his “radical ideological” positions.
The American media stated that it was not clear whether Omani authorities had communicated these concerns to other countries or airlines before al-Hammami was hired by Flydubai. The airline and the Omani government did not respond to the newspaper’s requests for comment.
The report also noted that The Omani citizen was able to operate a route between the United Arab Emirates and Israel despite the precedent that existed in his country. Likewise, The Wall Street Journal reported that it was unclear whether Flydubai knew the reasons why he had been removed from his previous duties. The newspaper added that a spokesperson for the United Arab Emirates avoided commenting so as not to affect the development of the investigations.
CNN found images on social media of the suspect
This is known about the co-pilot who attacked his partner. Photo:EFE / AFP.
cnn also reported, citing two sources ‘familiar’ with the matter, that the suspected co-pilot had been dismissed from his previous job at Oman’s national airline for the same reasons mentioned by the WSJ.
Likewise, the American network specified that al-Hammami was born in the United Arab Emirates to an Omani father and a Syrian mother and had lived there for several years.
The suspect’s work history was also reconstructed by cnn. According to two sources consulted by that chain, The suspect had worked for years at Oman Air, Oman’s national airline.. A regional diplomatic source told him that after being retired he was later assigned to another function within the company.
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According to a LinkedIn profile found by the outlet, which was later deleted, He worked for Oman Air for seven years and left the company in February 2025. He then went to Royal Air Maroc, where he would have worked between June 2025 and January 2026. In this regard, a source confirmed to cnn that this profile corresponded to the pilot involved in the incident.
The outlet also revealed that it examined posts that had appeared on accounts linked to al-Hammami’s name and that were subsequently deleted. Like two other posts to the aforementioned LinkedIn profile.
Regarding the latter, the network reported that it was not clear who published the entries or if they were scheduled, but they indicated that they were dated this Wednesday, September 30. Regarding the content, he pointed out that one included videos from the cabins of a plane located at Dubai International Airport. This recording ended with a “photo of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who led Al Qaeda after the death of Osama Bin Laden, and a photo of Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, who killed nine people, including seven American CIA agents and contractors in 2009.”
The second post was an AI-generated photo showing three locations: Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Regarding the other posts on accounts under the same name, cnn He further noted that he found that they were related to his positions on the use of the niqab and mixed work spaces.
Videos recorded by passengers on the FlyDubai plane. Photo:Capture social networks
The media reported that, in a 2022 publication attributed to the account, the phrase appeared: “They all refused. Then my mother told them: ‘My son is a pilot,’ and suddenly they all agreed.”. In another, also cited by cnnthe work environments in which men and women work together were questioned: “How many respectable, religious girls have been ruined and manipulated in mixed work environments?”.
It should be remembered that the episode occurred during flight FZ1073, when, according to reports known so far, the accused attacked the captain. Smit Machchhar inside the cabin.
The situation caused the aircraft to be diverted and ended up making an emergency landing at the Tabuk airport, in Saudi Arabia. On the subject, the General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab Emirates (GCAA) confirmed that the flight, which had departed from Dubai to Tel Aviv, suffered a security incident that was controlled and that some members of the crew were injured.
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This Saturday, the Attorney General’s Office of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) confirmed that The co-pilot “initiated the execution of a terrorist attack” by attacking the pilot with an “emergency axe.”
The attorney general said that “investigations continue to clarify all the circumstances of the incident, its motives and the connections related to it, in addition to completing technical checks and analysis of material and digital evidence,” while adding that “the final results will be announced once the necessary procedures are concluded.”
In a statement released this Friday, for its part, the GCAA insisted that it will not comment on details or information that could anticipate the conclusions of the investigation. The agency indicated that the investigations continue and that the results will be announced through official channels when the corresponding procedures are concluded.
He also confirmed that Captain Smit Machchhar has returned to the UAE and remains in good condition while receiving medical treatment.
LAURA NATHALIA QUINTERO.
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