CAIRO (AP) — Co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of a flight to Israel with an ax and trying to seize the controls was an Omani national who had been banned from flying on his country’s airline due to concerns about extremist views, officials said Saturday.
The co-pilot was identified as Hamam al-Hammami, according to three people with knowledge of the situation, including a Gulf diplomat and a Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The United Arab Emirates, which is leading the investigation, said the co-pilot attacked with the cockpit ax and tried to take control of the plane. plane in free fall during a “terrorist attack” on Wednesday. His actions nearly caused the plane with 182 people on board to crash before passengers and others rushed and mastered it.
The new details have raised questions about how FlyDubai carefully vets potential employees and how the co-pilot’s presence on a flight full of Israeli passengers overstepped Israel’s strict security protocols.
Israel said it had reached agreements with foreign airlines to prevent pilots from countries without diplomatic relations from flying there. Israel and Oman do not have formal diplomatic relations. The UAE government has gained a reputation for taking effective action against extremist activity, but has chafed in the past over criticism from security vulnerabilities.
The incident occurred at a sensitive time for Israel, a week before the anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza. It also came weeks before a highly contentious election in which security and the security failures of October 7 were central issues.
FlyDubai hired the co-pilot after Oman Air banned him
Separately, a regional official and a person familiar with the matter said the co-pilot was banned from flying to Oman over concerns he had adopted extremist views. The official said he had been transferred to an administrative position at Oman Air. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. They gave no details about the alleged extremist views.
The co-pilot was later hired by United Arab Emirates-based airline FlyDubai, the person said. It was not immediately clear to what extent the co-pilot was checked. The Gulf diplomat said he underwent standard security checks before being hired, but it appears the checks focused on whether he had been convicted of criminal charges and did not delve deeper into examining his background for potential signs of radicalization.
The regional official also said security agencies from four countries in the region were working to establish the co-pilot’s motives, with help from the United States and other Western governments. The Gulf diplomat said the investigation, which is not yet complete, has not revealed any links to militant groups, suggesting the co-pilot acted on his own.
The regional official said the co-pilot was born in the United Arab Emirates and his mother was Syrian. He obtained Omani nationality from his father, also an Omani national. The regional official also said the co-pilot had traveled to Syria, without elaborating.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that the co-pilot had suffered “Islamist radicalization” but provided no proof. There was no immediate comment Saturday from the Israeli government.
A social media account was deleted on the day of the theft
A FlyDubai spokesperson said in an email that the airline could not comment beyond its official statements and acknowledged “there are many questions at this stage.” Oman Air had no immediate comment and the Oman government has not said anything publicly in response to repeated questions since the incident.
In a statement to the Associated Press, Royal Air Maroc, Morocco’s national carrier, said the co-pilot “completed a three-month theoretical training period with the airline in 2025, as part of the pre-employment process. At the end of this training period, his application was not considered for employment.” There were no details.
Keith Coles, a spokesman for Buckinghamshire New University in England, told the AP that al-Hammami had previously taken a distance course there in aviation management but “had not completed any pilot training.” There were no details on the schedule.
Not much else was known about the co-pilot’s background. His Instagram account was active until the day of the theft and then deleted.
Captain and passengers described drama on board
Airlines are generally required to carry crash axes in the cockpit which could be used in an emergency to open a window for escape or to open a panel for access to a fire.
THE captainwho was seriously injured, said he used his remaining energy from the attack to unlock the cockpit door, allowing people who had noticed alarming noises to enter, tackle the co-pilot and stabilize the flight while the passengers screamed.
The plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a descent so extreme that part of the rudder was torn off, and aviation experts were surprised it did not crash. FlyDubai said the crew traveling on the plane helped stabilize it and land it. They have not been publicly identified.
The captain and co-pilot were then taken to the United Arab Emirates. The passengers, mostly Israelis, returned home later Wednesday in a separate plane to cheers.
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Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Anna from Jerusalem. AP Washington bureau chief Anna Johnson, aviation writer Josh Funk and reporter Sam Metz in Jerusalem contributed.
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