Flydubai plane attack: Foreign media report on co-pilot Hamam al-Hamami's identity, nationality and motives

Flydubai plane: Such discussion in foreign media on the identity, name, past and intentions of the attacker co-pilot

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Many things are now coming to light about the co-pilot who is being accused of attacking the Indian captain and taking control of the plane on a flydubai flight going from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel.

It is being alleged that the co-pilot was trying to crash the plane. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the co-pilot is an Omani citizen.

However, flydubai has not yet officially said anything about the nationality of the co-pilot.

But many things are coming to light in the international media regarding the co-pilot. ABC News has written in its report, "The co-pilot is a citizen of Oman. He was identified as a security risk by Oman Air and banned from flying.

ABC News wrote in its report, "Officials said that while working as a co-pilot trainee at Oman Air in 2024, Al Hamami was found to be in possession of material related to extremism. According to sources, despite this he was allowed to continue working in the airline in an administrative role.

ABC News wrote, "According to sources, officials investigating the incident are still trying to find out how the suspected attacker later got permission to fly to flydubai and how he ended up in the cockpit of the plane bound for Israel as the first officer."

According to sources, Al Hamami was brought to the United Arab Emirates from Saudi Arabia on Thursday. Sources familiar with the investigation said he was "cooperative" with authorities investigating the incident and indicated that he intended to crash the plane in Israel.

Representatives for flydubai, Oman Air and the Embassy of Oman did not immediately respond to ABC News' requests for comment.

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Earlier on Friday, flydubai had issued a statement quoting its Chief Executive Officer. It said that at the request of the authorities, flydubai has temporarily suspended flights to Tel Aviv until further notice. The statement also said that "an official investigation is being led by the relevant authorities and with the full cooperation of flydubai.

A major disaster was averted when the plane's captain, Smit Mosquito, confronted the attacker and several passengers subdued him. During this time the attacker started taking the plane downwards rapidly.

The Wall Street Journal has also said this in its report. WSJ wrote, "The pilot is said to have been employed by flydubai despite the ban." He was given permission to fly on this sensitive route between UAE and Israel. Other people familiar with the investigation said that the alleged attacker is a citizen of Oman and his name is Hamam al-Hamami. It was not known whether Oman had shared its concerns about the pilot's radicalization with other countries or airlines. Information regarding the nature of his alleged radicalism has also not been available.

According to the Wall Street Journal report, the investigation into this incident is being led by the UAE. A UAE spokesperson declined to comment on the attacker's past record in Oman, saying so to avoid prejudicing the outcome of the investigation or interfering with its process.

On Friday, Anwar Mohammed Gargash, senior diplomatic advisor to the UAE President, for the first time described the alleged attempt to hijack a flydubai plane as a terrorist act.

Gargash wrote on X, "Pilot Smit Mosquito deserves praise. They demonstrated true courage and responsibility in the face of a serious terrorist threat and potential disaster." Gargash said that "beyond simplistic interpretations of events or the spread of conspiracy theories, it is vital to exercise vigilance and caution in addressing the threats of extremism and terrorism."

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "The attacker was inclined towards Islamic fundamentalism. He had come with the intention of crashing the plane with the passengers on board."

Aviation security analysts have said that this incident reflects a serious lapse in security arrangements. He said that the weapon could have reached the plane due to some mistake in the investigation, but the person with the intention of carrying out the attack should have been identified long before reaching the airport and he should have been stopped.

Netanyahu said the picture of what happened during the flight is now becoming clearer. The Prime Minister said that the attacker was a citizen of Oman, but other information related to his identity is not yet clear.

The Prime Minister said that Israel is investigating whether the pilot did all this alone or whether he was working in collaboration with someone else.

On Friday, Captain Smit Machar told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he had opened the cockpit door while lying on the floor when the other pilot was continuously attacking him.

Smit Mosquito said, "At that time I was fighting for my life. I was so badly injured that I fell down and I remember thinking what would happen if I couldn't get up. I knew at that moment I just had to push, the door was right there. Then I opened it and everyone came in."

The captain and co-pilot of the plane were brought to UAE from Saudi Arabia on Thursday. The plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Israel hopes that it will be able to interrogate the attacker.

Many new information in CNN report

American broadcaster CNN wrote in its report, "The suspected pilot who attacked the captain on a flydubai flight was removed from the job of Oman's national airline. Two sources familiar with the matter told PTI that this was done after concerns were raised about his extremist views.

CNN has written, "According to a source, the pilot is a citizen of Oman and his name is Hamam al-Hamami. The source said that he was born in the United Arab Emirates. His father is Omani and mother Syrian. He has spent many years of his life in UAE. An Israeli official has also confirmed the identity of al-Hamami. Saudi Arabia's state media has also confirmed his identity.

"According to a LinkedIn profile under the name Hamam al-Hamami, he worked for Oman Air for seven years and left in February 2025," CNN wrote. After this he started working at Royal Air Maroc in June 2025 and left from there in January 2026. There was no mention of flydubai in the profile. A source confirmed that the profile was that of the flydubai pilot involved in Wednesday's incident. The profile has since been removed and CNN has contacted LinkedIn for comment.

"Meanwhile, a regional diplomatic source familiar with the matter told CNN that the suspect was removed from flight training due to concerns raised about his radical views and given another role at Oman's national airline," CNN wrote.

According to CNN's report, "Only two posts were made on the LinkedIn profile, and both were published within a short span of about nine hours after the incident on Wednesday." It is not clear who published these posts or whether they were scheduled in advance. The first post included several video clips made in the cockpit of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft. The plane diverted to Saudi Arabia in Wednesday's incident was a flydubai 737 Max 8 aircraft.

In one clip, obtained by CNN from Dubai International Airport, the person making the video zooms in on a plane that belongs to Israeli airline El Al.

CNN wrote, "In the video, flight number OMA624 and the date October 11, 2023 were visible on the cockpit screen. This flight number is generally for the flight from Dubai to Muscat. This date matches the period when he was working at Oman Air. Other clips of the video show some more El Al planes as well as a plane from another Israeli airline, Arkia.

How did an Omani citizen get permission?

Questions are being raised about how a citizen of Oman, which does not recognize Israel, was allowed to serve as a pilot on a flight to Tel Aviv.

According to the UAE's government news agency WAM, the UAE has the authority to investigate the incident because the plane is registered in the UAE. Under UAE law, crimes committed on board its aircraft are subject to UAE law, even if they occur outside the country.

Netanyahu told CNN's Jim Sciutto late Wednesday that the attacker was interrogated in Saudi Arabia, where the plane was diverted in an emergency. He said Israel was also involved in the investigation. "I spoke to UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and he agreed that Israel would participate in the investigation," he said.

When Netanyahu was asked how the suspected Omani pilot got on board the plane, he said that pilots from countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel are usually not allowed to fly into Israel.

He said, "Obviously, there was a rule flaw here and we are fixing that along with other things. We are getting full support from the Emirati government in this. We both want to ensure that this does not happen again."