"Religious Fanatic"

Flydubai Co-Pilot (29) Was Considered a Safety Risk

Emirati authorities have launched an investigation; the motive and intentions of the suspected attacker remain unclear.(Bild: Krone-Collage/HAMAM AL HAMMAMI/LinkedInivv, AFP/JACK GUEZ)

According to U.S. media reports, the co-pilot, who is alleged to have injured the pilot of the Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, had previously been fired from his former job at an airline in Oman due to security concerns. He is said to be a “religious fanatic.” Prosecutors are calling it a “terrorist attack.”

According to information from the U.S. network “ABC News,” extremist material was found in the possession of the alleged attacker, Hamam Al Hammamis of Oman, while he was employed as a co-pilot trainee at the airline in 2024. However, the man was allowed to continue working there in an administrative role. 

Posts Following the Violent Act
For example, a social media profile attributed to Al Hammamis reportedly contained videos of Ayman al-Zawahiri (the leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist network following the death of Osama bin Laden), and images of Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi (an al-Qaeda supporter who killed nine people in a suicide bombing in 2009). Two posts are said to have been made on his LinkedIn profile hours after the violent act. It is therefore unclear who published these posts and whether they had been planned in advance. 

Co-pilot is reportedly cooperating with authorities
The “Wall Street Journal” reports, citing people familiar with the matter, that the 29-year-old had previously been barred from flying. The reason cited was concern that he held radical ideological views. According to “n-tv,” Al-Hammamis is said to be a “religious fanatic.” According to ABC News, investigators are currently trying to determine how he was subsequently allowed to fly for Flydubai.

The arrested co-pilot, who has since been taken to the Emirates, is reportedly cooperating with investigators. He reportedly indicated that he had intended to crash the Flydubai plane in Israel. The 29-year-old is said to have been working for the airline for about eight months.

Israel’s government believes it was a jihadist terrorist attack
The Emirati airline’s flight was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when the co-pilot allegedly attacked his colleague, Smit Machchhar. According to his own account, Machchhar managed—despite suffering serious injuries—to open the cockpit door and regain control of the plummeting aircraft. Several passengers entered the cockpit and were able to subdue the attacker.

Emirati authorities have launched an investigation; the motive and intentions of the alleged attacker remain unclear. The Israeli government is already treating the incident as a jihadist terrorist attack—and a high-ranking government official from the United Arab Emirates also recently referred to the violent act as terrorism.