WSJ: Flydubai Attacker Was Grounded by Oman Over ‘Radical Views’

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The Omani co-pilot of the Flydubai flight, who attacked its captain and apparently attempted to crash the plane, was reportedly barred from flying by his home country. The pilot, now being identified as Hamam al-Hammami, “had previously been banned from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views,” The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

In fact, the attacker did not conceal his Islamist sympathies from his current employer, Emirati government-owned Flydubai. According to Israel’s i24NEWS, “al Qaeda-linked terrorist images” were found on the attacker’s professional LinkedIn social media account.

His previous employer, the national carrier Oman Air, considered him a security risk. According to ABC News, “Al Hammami, while working as a co-pilot trainee for Oman Air in 2024, was found to be in possession of extremist materials.” He was pulled from flying duty but kept “working for the airline in an administrative role,” the broadcaster added. He began working with Flydubai earlier this year.

The WSJ continued:

The FlyDubai co-pilot who stabbed his captain and sent Flight 1073 diving toward the ground had previously been banned from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views, people familiar with the matter said.

Despite the ban, the pilot was hired by FlyDubai, the people said, allowing him to fly on the sensitive route connecting the United Arab Emirates and Israel. The alleged attacker is an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami, said other people briefed on the investigation.

It couldn’t be determined whether Oman shared concerns about the pilot’s radicalization with other countries or airlines. The nature of his radicalization couldn’t be learned.

The U.A.E. is leading the investigation into the incident. A U.A.E. spokesperson declined to comment on the attacker’s history in Oman “to avoid prejudging the outcome of the investigation or interfering with its course.”

FlyDubai and Oman’s government didn’t respond to requests for comment.

A senior adviser to the U.A.E.’s ruler and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Wednesday’s near-downing of FlyDubai Flight 1073 as terrorism on Friday.

“The attacker underwent Islamic radicalization,” Netanyahu said. “He came to crash the passengers on board.”

Aviation-security analysts said the incident represented a significant security failure. While a screening error might have let a weapon through, a motivated assailant should have been detected and caught long before reaching the airport, they said.

Netanyahu said the picture of what happened on the flight is becoming clearer. The prime minister said he was Omani, but other details of his identity remain unclear.

Confirming the initial Israeli assessment, the Emirati investigators are treating the incident as a terrorist attack. The Jerusalem Post reported Saturday:

The co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 attempted to carry out a “terrorist” attack during the flight, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general, Counselor Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said on Saturday, according to the state news agency WAM.

Investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances of the incident, the motives, and any related connections, as well as to examine physical and digital evidence, he added.

On Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the brave intervention by Israeli passengers averted a 9/11-type catastrophe. “As time passes, the picture is becoming clearer. Yaniv and his heroic companions prevented a disaster on the scale of 9/11,” he wrote on X.

Israel is now investigating whether the attacker had ties to terrorist groups or actors. “The attacker underwent Islamist radicalization. He intended to crash the plane with all its passengers on board,” he added. “We are now investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”

New details surrounding the cockpit attack are also emerging. The Omani pilot used an axe to stab his co-pilot and take over the plane. “The co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 used a crash axe to attempt to carry out a “terrorist attack” during the flight, the United ⁠Arab Emirates prosecutor general said on Saturday, according to a state news agency,” The Guardian (UK) reported. “The UAE statement cited the prosecutor general as saying the co-pilot also tried to take control of the plane during Wednesday’s attack on the Israel-bound flight.”

 

 

 

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