The Omani co-pilot accused of attacking Indian Captain Smit Machchhar during a Flydubai flight to Israel had previously been identified as a security risk while working for Oman Air, according to senior intelligence and law enforcement officials cited by ABC News.
The suspect, identified by multiple sources as 29-year-old Hamam al-Hammami, was reportedly found with extremist material while training as a co-pilot at Oman Air in 2024. He was subsequently grounded from flying but was allowed to continue working for the airline in an administrative role, according to sources cited by ABC News.
Investigators are now examining how he later obtained employment with Flydubai and was cleared to serve as first officer aboard a flight bound for Tel Aviv.
Questions over suspect's aviation career
According to ABC News, al-Hammami was suspended from flying duties at Oman Air after officials raised security concerns about him in 2024. Sources said extremist materials were found in his possession at the time.
Rather than being removed entirely from the airline, he was reportedly moved to an administrative position. Officials are now examining the circumstances between that earlier security concern and his subsequent employment as a commercial pilot.
The Indian Express, citing CNN and other sources, reported that al-Hammami was born in the United Arab Emirates to an Omani father and Syrian mother. A LinkedIn profile in his name said he had worked for Oman Air for seven years and left in February 2025. It also listed subsequent employment with Royal Air Maroc from June 2025 to January 2026. The profile has since been deleted, while CNN reported that it had confirmed the profile belonged to him.
The report also said al-Hammami had been working for Flydubai for about eight months. He had studied aviation management at Buckinghamshire New University, which confirmed that a person of the same name graduated from the course in 2023.
Sources cited by ABC News said the suspect was transferred from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday and was cooperating with investigators.
Deleted social media accounts under scrutiny
Investigators are also examining material that appeared on social media accounts associated with al-Hammami.
CNN reported that a LinkedIn profile bearing his name was deleted after the incident. Two posts appeared on the account on Wednesday, roughly nine hours after the attack, although it remained unclear who uploaded them or whether they had been scheduled in advance.
One post contained videos filmed inside the cockpit of Boeing 737 Max aircraft. The Flydubai aircraft involved in Wednesday's emergency was also a Boeing 737 Max.
According to CNN, one of the videos ended with photographs of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden as al Qaeda leader, and Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, who carried out a 2009 suicide bombing that killed nine people, including seven American CIA officers and contractors. Al-Balawi was associated with al Qaeda.
The second post contained an AI-generated image depicting Islam's three holiest sites, Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. A poem accompanying the image referred to refusing humiliation, having no fear of death and defending one's dignity, according to CNN.
The Indian Express reported that the same videos had also appeared on an Instagram account that has since been deleted. CNN also reported that one cockpit video showed a screen displaying a date in October 2023, when al-Hammami was working with Oman Air.
Attack sent Flydubai flight into emergency descent
The incident took place on Wednesday aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Al-Hammami is accused of attacking Machchhar inside the cockpit and seriously injuring the Indian captain. The aircraft subsequently entered a steep descent.
Machchhar later told Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a video call that he realised the aircraft was going down and, despite being injured, managed to reach and open the cockpit door. Passengers then entered the cockpit and helped restrain the suspect.
The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. Reports put the number of people aboard the flight at more than 170, with Reuters reporting that the aircraft carried 174 passengers.
Machchhar has since been transferred to Abu Dhabi for treatment and is recovering from his injuries. During his conversation with Modi, he described fighting to save the other people aboard the aircraft.
UAE investigates possible terrorist motive
The United Arab Emirates has opened an investigation into the cockpit attack. Prosecutors are examining the circumstances surrounding the incident, including whether it involved terrorist activity and whether there was prior planning.
The UAE state news agency WAM reported that the attorney general had ordered an investigation into whether the incident was connected to terrorist activity.
Sources briefed on the investigation have also said the suspect indicated that he intended to crash the aircraft in Israel. That claim has not been independently established, and investigators are still determining the circumstances and motive behind the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the suspect as having undergone what he called Islamist radicalisation and said authorities were examining whether another person had directed him. His comments form part of the ongoing investigation and do not independently establish either the suspect's motive or the involvement of another person.
Israeli agencies, including Shin Bet and Mossad, are also examining the incident, including how an Omani national from a country that does not recognise Israel came to be part of the crew, according to the Indian Express.
Flydubai has temporarily suspended its Tel Aviv operations at the request of authorities while the official investigation continues.