Hamam Alhamami(Img:linkedin.com/hamam-al-hammami)
Dubai: Fresh details have emerged about Hamam Al-Hammami, the Omani co-pilot accused of attacking Indian Captain Smit Machchhar aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 on September 30. The Dubai-Tel Aviv flight was forced into an emergency diversion to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar inside the cockpit.
Al-Hammami, reportedly 29, was identified by Saudi and Israeli sources. His background is now under scrutiny after reports revealed that he had previously been removed from flight training in Oman over concerns about extremist views.
According to senior intelligence and law-enforcement officials cited, Al-Hammami was found in possession of extremist material while training as a co-pilot with Oman Air in 2024. He was subsequently suspended from flying duties and moved to an administrative role, the sources said.
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Reports indicate that he later left Oman Air and worked with Royal Air Maroc before joining Flydubai. It was reported that he had been working for Flydubai for about eight months before the September 30 incident. How he passed subsequent employment and security checks is now a major part of the investigation.
Reports have also highlighted Al-Hammami's time outside Oman, including an extended period in Syria. Some reports have linked that period to the alleged development of extremist views, although details about what he did in Syria and when remain unclear.
His reported background includes an aviation management degree from Buckinghamshire New University, which confirmed that a person with the same name completed a distance-learning course and graduated in 2023.
Further questions emerged after posts appeared on a LinkedIn account bearing Al-Hammami's name shortly after the flight incident. It was reported that the account contained cockpit videos, including footage showing Israeli aircraft, followed by images of former al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, who was responsible for a 2009 suicide bombing.
The account also featured an AI-generated image of Islam's holy sites accompanied by a poem referring to death and resistance. The LinkedIn and Instagram accounts have since been deleted, while it remains unclear who posted the material or whether any posts had been scheduled earlier.
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The UAE attorney general has opened an investigation into whether the incident involved terrorist activity, prior planning or outside direction. Israeli agencies are also examining the attack and Al-Hammami's background.
Meanwhile, Captain Smit Machchhar managed to regain access to the cockpit despite being injured, allowing passengers to help restrain the co-pilot. The aircraft was subsequently diverted safely to Tabuk. Investigators are now examining both the motive behind the attack and how Al-Hammami was cleared to serve as a commercial airline pilot.
