The FlyDubai co-pilot accused of stabbing his captain on a Tel Aviv-bound flight is a 29-year-old Omani once barred over extremist views, Israeli leaders say.
Hamam al-Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani national, has been identified as the FlyDubai co-pilot accused of attacking the captain on Flight 1073 with the cockpit crash axe, leaving the plane to plunge before passengers and crew fought back.
Fox News reported that the United Arab Emirates is leading the investigation into the attack on the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight, and that the captain, Smit Machchhar, was incapacitated before the aircraft plummeted and passengers seized control.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu framed the episode as terrorism rooted in radicalization. The airline has urged the public not to speculate while the probe continues. The core facts now in view point to a near-catastrophe averted only by quick action in the cabin.
A Middle Eastern source told Fox News that al-Hammami was barred from flying with Oman Air in 2024 over concerns about extremist views. Authorities believe he moved to Dubai later that same year.
That source also said FlyDubai did not check with Oman Air before hiring him. He spent a significant part of his life outside Oman, including time living with his mother, who is from Syria.
The hiring gap sits at the center of the accountability question. A pilot already pushed out of one Gulf carrier over extremism concerns later sat in a commercial cockpit on a flight packed with passengers bound for Israel.
Just The News reported that the plane plunged about 16,000 feet on the way from cruising altitude before an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, with roughly 170 people aboard. Both the captain and first officer were injured and hospitalized.
Reuters reported that the aircraft dropped more than 14,000 feet in about 30 seconds before it was stabilized. Passengers and crew entered the cockpit after the wounded captain opened the door. A reserve FlyDubai crew then landed the plane at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Passenger Almog Italie described the plunge in stark terms.
"It was dropping like for 20, 30 seconds, and then balanced... Crew members and passengers from the front of the airplane took over and got control of the two pilots."
Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister’s office, said the wounded captain, bloodied and lying on the floor, used the last of his strength to open the cockpit door. Captain Machchhar later said he could not let anyone die.
On Friday, Netanyahu described the incident as an act of terrorism and said the attacker had undergone “Islamic radicalization.” He said the co-pilot’s aim was clear.
"He came to crash the passengers on board,"
Netanyahu also saluted the people who stopped the attack.
"I salute these heroes, who displayed exceptional resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives. They prevented a huge disaster."
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called it an attempted jihadist attack, and two Israeli jets were scrambled as the crisis unfolded. Most of the passengers were Israeli. Photo captions later showed the aircraft and passengers at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv after the emergency diversion.
A Gulf diplomat told the Associated Press that investigators are working to determine whether al-Hammami acted as a “lone wolf or has any connection with any extremist groups.”
FlyDubai struck a cautious public note while the facts are gathered.
"At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation."
What is already on the record is harder to dismiss. A co-pilot previously barred over extremist views reached the flight deck of an Israel-bound jet. He allegedly turned the crash axe on his captain. The plane fell thousands of feet in seconds. Passengers and crew forced their way in, subdued the attacker, and kept the aircraft from becoming a mass-casualty weapon.
Formal charges, a full medical accounting of the injuries, and a complete motive file have not been laid out in public reporting so far. The UAE continues to lead the investigation. The sequence already known is enough to show how thin the margin was between a routine flight and a catastrophe over the desert.
When airlines skip hard background checks and treat prior extremism flags as someone else’s problem, ordinary passengers end up writing the last line of defense with their bare hands.
