Who is the mystery co-pilot behind the Flydubai attack?

A Flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking his captain during a flight bound for Israel has been identified by diplomats and media reports as an Omani citizen who had previously been prohibited from flying in his native country because of concerns regarding extremist views.

While authorities have not officially named the suspect, three knowledgeable individuals, including both a Western and a Gulf diplomat, told the Associated Press that the man is Hamam al-Hammami. The Gulf diplomat stated that an inquiry is underway to determine if the suspect acted independently or had ties to broader extremist factions. According to CNN, which cited an Israeli official and another source, al-Hammami was born in the United Arab Emirates to a Syrian mother and lived in the Emirates for several years.

Questions are intensifying over how the pilot passed background checks to join the Dubai-based carrier. The Wall Street Journal reported that officials in Oman had previously barred him from flying within the sultanate due to suspected extremist beliefs, although details of those views and whether Oman notified foreign regulators remain uncertain. A regional diplomatic source told CNN that the pilot was also pulled from flight training and reassigned over comparable worries. An online professional profile under his name indicated past employment with Oman Air until early 2025, followed by a tenure at Royal Air Maroc ending in January 2026.

The incident took place on Wednesday aboard Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, carrying 174 people. A little over two hours into the journey, flight tracking revealed the Boeing aircraft rapidly dropping roughly 17,000 feet in approximately two minutes. Inside the cockpit, a violent struggle broke out when the co-pilot assaulted the Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, using an emergency crash axe in an attempt to seize control of the jet.

Speaking from an Abu Dhabi hospital, Captain Machchhar recounted that he was seriously hurt and on the floor while sensing the aircraft plunge. He managed to reach and unlock the cockpit door, enabling crew members and passengers to rush inside and restrain the assailant. Two off-duty relief pilots on board then took charge of the controls, reset the transponder to alert air traffic controllers to unlawful interference, and made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Both pilots were hospitalized in Saudi Arabia before being moved to Abu Dhabi. United Arab Emirates Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi announced that prosecutors consider the incident an attempted terrorist operation and are analyzing digital and physical evidence to establish the motive and any outside coordination. Because the aircraft is registered in the UAE, the country retains legal jurisdiction over the investigation. Flydubai has suspended its services to Israel while the probe continues.