Flydubai co-pilot allegedly admits deliberate crash intent (Img: X)
New Delhi: The Flydubai co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, accused of attempting to crash a passenger aircraft bound for Tel Aviv, allegedly told investigators in Saudi Arabia that he was ‘not afraid of death’ and he wanted to deliberately bring it down.
The 29-year-old Omani national is now under investigation over how he became radicalised and why he was allowed to return to the cockpit despite his alleged extremist interests having previously attracted the attention of authorities.
According to the US Media, Hammami’s first aviation employer, state-owned Oman Air, barred him from flying after authorities discovered that he had been visiting extremist websites.
People familiar with his background told the newspaper that he was subsequently enrolled in a de-radicalisation programme and moved to a desk-based role.
After leaving Oman Air, Hammami eventually secured employment in the UAE, with Flydubai hiring him in February 2026. It remains unclear what information the airline had about his earlier history or whether Oman was asked to share details as part of the recruitment process.
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The report said that Oman had not received any requests from other countries seeking information to vet Hammami for employment.
Investigators are also examining Hammami’s time in Syria, where he spent part of his youth.
Hammami was born to an Omani father and a Syrian mother and lived in Syria during part of the country’s civil war. People familiar with the investigation said that authorities are looking into whether he became radicalised during that period, when Islamist rebels were fighting the government of Bashar al-Assad.
His social media activity has also provided investigators with a substantial record of his views before the Flydubai incident.
More than 3,000 screenshots from Hammami’s deleted X account remain accessible through the Internet Archive.
The posts reportedly contained deeply conservative and misogynistic views, including opposition to women working and statements expressing a preference for religious women who wear the veil.
In one post, Hammami described creating a fake account to contact Saudi women. In another, he wrote that his wife should not work.
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Investigators are examining the social media posts alongside his earlier extremist-web activity and his time in Syria to determine whether they indicate a wider process of radicalisation.
On September 30, Hammami allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar aboard Flydubai Flight 1073, using a cockpit crash axe before attempting to take control of the aircraft.
The plane plunged more than 16,000 feet in around 30 seconds before the seriously injured captain managed to open the cockpit door. Passengers and crew then overpowered Hammami, while two off-duty pilots travelling on the aircraft helped regain control and stabilise the plane.
The aircraft was subsequently diverted to Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
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Following the emergency landing, a Saudi official said that the co-pilot admitted he wanted to deliberately crash the aircraft and was not afraid of death.
Authorities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Israel are investigating whether Hammami acted alone or had connections with outside groups, with particular attention being paid to possible links to Iran.
