New details emerge about incident on Flydubai flight: pilot had left Oman Air over suspected extremist views

Investigations into the serious incident on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv have uncovered new information about the co-pilot suspected of attacking the captain.

Omani national Hamam al-Hammami is suspected of attacking the aircraft’s captain, creating a dangerous situation during the flight. According to CNN, two sources familiar with the matter said he had left his position in flight training at Oman Air in 2025 following concerns about suspected extremist views. One of the sources said that al-Hammami was later transferred to another position within the company.

Al-Hammami had been with Oman Air for about seven years. He then worked briefly for Royal Air Maroc before later being hired by Flydubai. An Israeli official said he had been with Flydubai for only about eight months.

The information made public has raised questions about the security-screening procedures applied before he was hired by the airline.

Another element being examined by the authorities is two posts published on his LinkedIn profile several hours after the incident. It is not yet known whether they were uploaded by al-Hammami himself or had been prepared earlier.

One of the posts featured videos from the cockpits of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, also showing planes operated by the Israeli airlines El Al and Arkia. At the end of the videos were images of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who led al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden, and Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi, the perpetrator of the 2009 suicide attack in Afghanistan.

The other post contained an artificial intelligence-generated image in which Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem were shown connected by a bright line. Meanwhile, the Instagram account bearing the same name and featuring the same photograph has also been deleted.

The incident occurred on September 30, on Flydubai flight FZ1073, which was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv and had 174 people on board.

According to preliminary findings, the co-pilot allegedly struck and injured Captain Smit Machchhar before attempting to take control of the aircraft.

The aircraft immediately lost more than 16,000 feet in altitude. Despite his injuries, the captain managed to open the cockpit door, while passengers and crew members intervened to restrain the suspect. Control of the aircraft was subsequently taken over by reserve pilots.

The flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia and ended at Tabuk Airport. The injured captain was transported to receive medical treatment.

The United Arab Emirates is investigating whether the attack was linked to terrorism or had been planned in advance. The suspect was initially detained in Saudi Arabia and was later sent to the UAE, where the investigation is being conducted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the suspect had been radicalized by Islamist ideology. However, investigating authorities have not yet determined a definitive motive and are analyzing all the circumstances of the incident.