flydubai co-pilot Hamam Al Hamami was barred from flying in Oman over extremist concerns: Report

New Delhi/Washington: The flydubai co-pilot, identified as Hamam Al Hamami, accused of attempting to sabotage a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight and attacking Indian Captain Smit Machchhar, had reportedly been barred from flying in his country Oman over concerns that he had adopted extremist views, according to media reports.

Al Hamami is an Omani citizen who was born in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to an Omani father and a Syrian mother.

According to reports, Al Hamami spent much of his time outside Oman, particularly in Syria, where he was allegedly influenced by extremist ideas before subsequently travelling to the UAE.

Al Hamami was working as a co-pilot trainee with Oman Air in 2024 when he was allegedly found in possession of extremist material. He was reportedly permitted to continue working with the airline in an administrative capacity, but was barred from flying after being identified as a security risk.

Despite the reported flying restriction in Oman, Al Hamami was later hired by flydubai, the Dubai-based airline, enabling him to operate flights on the sensitive route connecting the UAE and Israel.

Questions over how he was cleared to fly have emerged as investigations into the incident continue. The UAE has ordered an investigation to establish the circumstances and determine whether the incident was connected to terrorist activity, prior planning or direction.

Reports have also suggested that Al Hamami intended to crash the flydubai aircraft in Israel. However, investigations into the motive and circumstances surrounding the incident are continuing.

Al Hamami had worked for flydubai for only about eight months, CNN reported. A now-deleted LinkedIn profile bearing the name Hamam Al Hammami reportedly stated that he had worked with Oman Air for seven years and left the airline in February 2025.

He subsequently joined Royal Air Maroc in June 2025 and left the airline in January this year before taking up employment with flydubai, according to reports.

The deleted profile reportedly made two posts within around nine hours of the flydubai incident, both of which were terror-related. One of the posts reportedly contained a series of clips filmed inside the cockpits of a Boeing 737 Max aircraft, with the person recording the footage zooming in on an aircraft belonging to Israeli airline El Al.

The video reportedly ended with an image of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaeda leader who succeeded Osama Bin Laden, along with a photograph of Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, who killed nine people in a 2009 suicide bombing targeting US personnel.

Another post reportedly featured an AI-generated image depicting Islam’s three holiest sites in Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.

According to CNN, a poem in the background referred to rejecting humiliation, not fearing death and defending one’s dignity.

A separate CNN report said Al Hamami’s now-deleted X account portrayed him as “deeply religious and misogynistic”. Other media reports have also cited a former colleague describing him as a religious extremist, although investigations into his motives and background remain ongoing.

The flydubai flight was heading from Dubai to Israel’s Tel Aviv on September 30 when the co-pilot tried to sabotage the aircraft and stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar, who was trying to prevent him from doing so.

At the time, the Boeing 737, cruising at about 34,000 feet, began dropping at roughly 23,000 feet per minute before reaching about 15,600 feet. However, Machchhar fought the co-pilot, resisted him, and opened the cockpit door so that passengers and crew members could overpower him. The flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk with the help of two other pilots who were on the flight at that time.

Meanwhile, UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi has ordered the formation of an investigation team to probe the incident, including any possible connection to terrorist activity or intent.

The team, comprising specialised members of the Public Prosecution, will investigate the circumstances and causes of the incident, according to the statement released by the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The UAE appreciated Saudi Arabian authorities for their cooperation and handling of the incident.

IANS