In the UAE, they spoke about the Flydubai pilot’s inclination towards terrorism

A Flydubai pilot suspected of trying to hijack a plane was influenced by jihadist ideas in 2017 while studying in Australia.

Signs of a tendency towards extremism and terrorism in the pilot were identified during the investigation of his intellectual and professional path.

DUBAI, Oct 9 - RIA Novosti. The Flydubai pilot, who is suspected of trying to seize control of a plane during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, showed signs of inclination towards terrorism in 2017, when he was studying in Australia and fell under the influence of jihadist ideas, the Emirati news agency WAM reports, citing the UAE Prosecutor General.

The Attorney General explained that the investigation examined the intellectual and professional history of the accused, who is 29 years old, and it became clear that signs of his inclination towards extremism and terrorism began in 2017 while studying in Australia, where he was influenced by jihadist ideas due to reading extremist texts and consuming electronic content glorifying terrorist organizations and suicide operations, the agency said in a publication.

It is noted that the pilot planned to carry out a terrorist attack similar to the events of September 11, 2001 in the United States.

The defendant moved from one airline to another in different countries throughout his career. He worked for Oman Air from 2020 to 2024, then moved to Royal Air Maroc in early 2025, where he worked for several months before moving to Flydubai in January 2026, it said.

A Flydubai plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30 signaled an emergency and a short time later made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The airline later confirmed that a fight broke out between the pilots during the flight. Later, information appeared in the media that one of the pilots injured the second and wanted to cause a plane crash. This information was confirmed to RIA Novosti by passengers on that flight.

The alleged attacker is 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, who previously worked for Oman Air and was suspended from flying due to his radical views.