FlyDubai Co-Pilot Identified as Hamam al Hamami, Flagged by Oman Over Extremism

Since passengers and crew subdued a FlyDubai co-pilot mid-attack on Wednesday's Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight, forcing an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, investigators have identified him and pieced together a history that shows he was flagged as a security risk years before he ever got near that cockpit.

Multiple outlets, including CBS News, the Times of India and Al Arabiya English, identified him as Hamam al Hamami (also spelled Alhamami), an Omani national. He is now in UAE custody after being transferred from Saudi Arabia on Thursday, and ABC News reported, citing sources briefed on the investigation, that he has told investigators his intent was to crash the aircraft in Israel.

A security risk Oman flagged years ago

According to CBS News, al Hamami entered pilot training with Oman Air and was flagged after government surveillance found he was visiting radical websites. CBS reported he was then moved to an office job and was ultimately fired around 2024 for holding "extremist views."

The Wall Street Journal, as cited by Breitbart, reported that Oman barred him from flying altogether over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views, but that he was kept on in an administrative role rather than terminated outright. The Times of India, citing CNN, added a similar account: he was removed from a training role at Oman Air last year and given another job at the airline, not dismissed immediately.

These accounts don't fully line up on whether he was fired or reassigned, but they agree on the core fact. Oman's national carrier identified him as a radicalization concern and pulled him from the cockpit well before FlyDubai put him in one.

CBS News reported he once posted a video of El Al planes in Dubai that ended with a photo of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, killed in a 2022 U.S. drone strike. Al Arabiya English, cited by both Breitbart and the Times of India, reported he spent much of his time outside Oman, particularly in Syria, where sources said he was influenced by extremist ideas before moving to the UAE.

Adding a layer investigators are still sorting through, Times of India reported that i24 News, citing an Emirati source, said leaflets and material from "Free Palestine" groups were found among al Hamami's belongings, and that he had repeatedly expressed support for Palestinians and hostility toward Israel. That detail sits alongside the al-Qaeda imagery reporting, and outlets have not reconciled how those two threads fit together. Investigators are examining both as part of a broader look at his radicalization.

How did he get hired?

CBS News reported FlyDubai hired al Hamami without vetting him through the Omani government. The Wall Street Journal, per Breitbart, said it remains unclear whether Oman ever shared its concerns about him with other countries or airlines. A UAE spokesperson declined to address his history in Oman, saying doing so could "prejudge the outcome of the investigation," according to Breitbart. FlyDubai and the Omani government did not respond to the Journal's requests for comment.

A man Oman's own aviation authority had flagged for extremist views and pulled from flight training ended up as first officer on one of the most sensitive routes in the region, carrying 174 to 182 people depending on the count cited, because nobody closed the loop between Muscat and Dubai.

Netanyahu's claim, and what's actually proven

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said al Hamami underwent "Islamist radical indoctrination" and called it likely a suicide attempt. "As time passes, the picture is becoming clearer," Netanyahu said Friday, adding that Israel is investigating whether al Hamami was "dispatched" and that "whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price."

But the Associated Press, in reporting picked up by 2News and Deccan Chronicle, noted that Netanyahu has offered no evidence to back the radicalization claim. Two Israeli security officials told Reuters, per the Guardian, that Israel's initial assessment is that al Hamami acted alone, and two Israeli security sources said they have found no Iranian involvement. A regional official told AP that "all possible scenarios, from terrorism to mental disorders, are being looked into. Nothing is ruled out for now."

President Trump told reporters early information suggested links to Tehran but did not elaborate, and separately called al Hamami "perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job," according to the Guardian. No charges have been filed as of Friday, and no government has confirmed a state sponsor was involved.

A reasonable read of the al-Qaeda imagery and his admitted intent to crash the plane is that this looks like terrorism, and Israeli officials including Defense Minister Israel Katz and UN Ambassador Danny Danon have called it exactly that. But "acted alone with no confirmed state backing" and "indoctrinated and dispatched by someone" are two different conclusions, and the investigation hasn't landed on one yet.

What's happening now

The UAE has canceled all flights to Israel. Israel and the UAE began repatriation flights Friday night to get stranded passengers home, with the first landing in Tel Aviv just after 1 a.m., according to Ben Gurion International Airport's website. Arkia and Israir had flights scheduled from Dubai early Saturday, and El Al was expected to resume Dubai-Tel Aviv service Sunday.

The investigation is being led by the UAE with Israeli, Saudi, Omani and U.S. cooperation, according to a regional official cited by AP. Whether Oman ever disclosed its earlier concerns about al Hamami to FlyDubai or any other government remains an open question the Journal says investigators are still chasing.