The original date planned for the Flydubai attempted hijacking; other details from the investigation - report
According to The Wall Street Journal, al-Hammami told investigators he nearly carried out an attack last summer but changed his mind
The Flydubai co-pilot who tried to crash a flight bound for Israel told investigators that he had nearly carried out an attack this past July before changing his mind, The Wall Street Journal reported overnight Wednesday into Thursday, citing sources familiar with his interrogation.
According to the British newspaper Financial Times, investigators in the United Arab Emirates are keeping information obtained during the interrogation of the pilot-terrorist, Hamam al-Hamami, under wraps. His digital footprint has been erased, but he is known to have expressed extremist views online, combining ultra-conservative interpretations of Islam with misogynistic language.
Among other questions, investigators in the UAE are examining whether al-Hamami acted alone when he used an emergency axe to attack Captain Smit Machchhar, who was flying the aircraft alongside him. Emirati authorities have previously declared the incident a terrorist attack.
Two sources close to the investigation told the Financial Times that al-Hammami’s internet search history showed he consumed extremist content while living in Australia.
His extremist past in Oman—and suspicions of Iranian involvement
Serious questions are being raised about the failure to conduct a background check on the suspect and the manner in which he was assigned to the cockpit on the flight to Israel. ABC News reported, citing two American officials and an Israeli source, that Al-Hammami had already been flagged as a security threat in 2024 and was suspended from his position as a trainee pilot at "Oman Air" after possessing extremist materials, as well as violent and antisemitic posts he published on social media.
Nevertheless, he was accepted to the Flydubai company only eight months ago. At the same time, Mossad investigators and Israeli aviation experts, alongside American intelligence agents, arrived in Abu Dhabi to take part in the investigation.
The struggle in the cockpit: passengers prevented disaster
The deadly attack was prevented thanks to the resourcefulness of Captain Machchhar, the flight crew, and several Israeli passengers, who displayed extraordinary bravery in the face of impossible circumstances. According to testimonies, al-Hammami attacked the captain with the cockpit emergency axe and tried to bring down the aircraft.
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The wounded captain managed to fight off the attacker and open the locked cockpit door, allowing passenger Yaniv Hayon, other passengers, and crew members to rush the suspect, subdue him, and restrain him. Two off-duty pilots aboard the flight regained control of the aircraft, stabilized it, and made an emergency landing in the Saudi city of Tabuk.
The suspect was subsequently transferred to Emirati custody.