Dubai: Fresh details have emerged about the background of Hamam Alhamami, the Omani co-pilot accused of attacking Indian Captain Smit Machchhar aboard a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, with reports indicating that he had previously been removed from flying duties in Oman over concerns about extremist views.
The revelations have intensified scrutiny of how Alhamami was subsequently employed by Flydubai and cleared to serve as a co-pilot on an international passenger route.
Oman had reportedly restricted his flying
According to Al Arabiya English, cited by several international media outlets, Alhamami had previously been barred from flying in Oman because of concerns over his alleged radical ideological views. Sources cited in the reports said he had spent considerable time outside Oman, particularly in Syria, where he was allegedly exposed to extremist ideas before later travelling to the UAE.
🚨 JUST IN: The FlyDubai terrorist who tried k*lling everyone onboard was PREVIOUSLY BANNED from flying by Oman because of concerns he had “radical Islamic views”
BECAUSE OF COURSE.
— JD Vance Alice (@jdvance145) October 3, 2026
Separate reporting by ABC News, citing senior intelligence and law-enforcement officials, said Alhamami had previously been identified as a security concern and suspended from flying duties by Oman Air.
The exact nature of the material or beliefs that prompted the earlier restrictions has not been fully disclosed by authorities. Reports have differed over the precise timeline and circumstances surrounding his removal from flying duties.
Report: The flydubai hijacker was previously banned from flying by Omani authorities over concerns regarding his radical ideological views, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Friday. https://t.co/3Bp7HmCSwA
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) October 2, 2026
From Oman Air to Flydubai
Reports indicate that Alhamami had worked with Oman Air before moving through other aviation employment and eventually joining Flydubai. CNN-linked reporting cited by the Indian Express said he was removed from pilot training after concerns about his alleged extremist views. He was subsequently employed in another capacity before leaving the airline.
An investigation into his employment history has now become an important part of the wider case, particularly because he later obtained employment with Flydubai.
According to reports cited by the Indian Express, Alhamami’s professional history included a period with Royal Air Maroc, before he joined Flydubai. An Israeli official cited in the same reporting said he had been working for Flydubai for about eight months.
The developments have raised questions about what information was available to employers during the recruitment and security-vetting process. However, it remains unclear what background checks were carried out by Flydubai and what information was formally available to the airline when he was hired.
Attack inside the cockpit
The incident occurred on September 30, 2026, when Flydubai flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
According to Reuters and Israeli officials, the co-pilot allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit, causing the aircraft to make a dramatic descent. Passengers and crew eventually intervened after Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door. The aircraft was diverted and landed safely at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai confirmed that the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk and that all passengers were safe and accounted for.
The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority later praised Captain Machchhar, the crew and passengers for their response, saying their swift intervention helped prevent more serious consequences. The authority also stressed that the investigation was continuing and warned against relying on unverified claims circulating about the incident.
UAE calls it an attempted terrorist act
The investigation took a significant turn on Saturday, when UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said investigators had concluded that the co-pilot attempted to carry out a terrorist act.
According to the UAE’s official Emirates News Agency (WAM), Al Shamsi said the co-pilot began executing a plan during the flight, attacked the captain with a crash axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft’s flight controls. Investigators are continuing to examine the suspect’s motives, possible links and physical and digital evidence.
This official description is stronger than the earlier stage of the investigation, when UAE authorities were examining whether the incident involved terrorist activity, prior planning or outside direction.
Syria connection under scrutiny
The reported period Alhamami spent in Syria has emerged as another major area of investigation.
Al Arabiya English sources reportedly said he spent much of his time outside Oman, particularly in Syria, and was influenced by extremist ideas there.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier said information gathered about the suspect indicated that he had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination. Reuters reported that Israeli security officials initially believed he may have acted alone, while stressing that the investigation was continuing.
Those statements, however, should be distinguished from independently established facts about the suspect’s ideology or organizational links. Investigators are still examining whether there was any connection to a terrorist organisation or whether the alleged attack was independently planned.
Questions over aviation security
The case has consequently raised broader questions over aviation recruitment, security screening and information-sharing between countries.
The central question now is how a person who had reportedly been restricted from flying in Oman because of security concerns was later able to work as a commercial co-pilot for another airline.
Authorities have not publicly provided a complete account of the recruitment and vetting process, so it would be premature to conclude that any particular airline or authority failed in its procedures.
For now, the UAE-led investigation remains focused on establishing Alhamami’s motives, the extent of his planning, his ideological influences and whether anyone else was involved. The UAE Attorney-General has said further technical and digital examination is continuing.
The case has therefore moved beyond an extraordinary cockpit confrontation to a wider international investigation involving aviation security, recruitment procedures and the suspect’s reported history of extremist concerns.
