‘Planned attack before I was hired:’ What Flydubai co-pilot told investigators days after tragedy averted | Today’s news
Days after Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national and co-pilot on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, attacked flight captain Smit Machchhar with a chopper in an attempt to crash a plane carrying Israeli passengers, the co-pilot reportedly told investigators he had planned the attack before he was hired by the airline.
Last week, a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai was at the center of tragedy after the co-pilot assaulted the flight captain mid-air. The incident occurred on FZ1073. Smit Machchhar, the captain of the flight, initially believed that his co-pilot had stood up to pray, but later realized that he had been attacked. Despite his serious injuries, he managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing the crew and passengers to subdue the co-pilot. The two off-duty pilots then regained control of the aircraft and made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Since the September 30 incident, investigations have been ongoing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Israel and Saudi Arabia, where the plane made an emergency landing, with chilling details emerging every day.
Omani co-pilot reveals chilling details
According to a Channel 13 report, Al-Hammami admitted that he was looking for an airline job, adding: “I checked which ones were flying to Tel Aviv. That’s why I chose Flydubai. I was planning it even before they hired me.”
According to Israeli media reports, Al-Hammami also planned to kill Smit Machchhar in the locked cockpit and then take control of the plane. He further told investigators that he had used his previous trips to Israel to gather information and prepare for an attack he originally planned to carry out in July. However, Al-Hammami changed his July plan after developing a friendly relationship with one of the crew members. He reportedly planned to crash the plane into a US military base in Jordan if he was unable to reach Israel.
According to reports, the attack occurred while the plane was flying over Jordan, with Al-Hammami also interfering with its controls. He reportedly shut down the engines and moved the rudders forward, causing the plane to lose 16,000 feet in altitude in less than a minute.
What investigators found
According to reports published by CNN and CBS News, citing Israeli sources, Al-Hammami may have acted as a “lone wolf”. However, investigations are underway to ascertain the motive behind the attack. A LinkedIn profile of the same name showed he worked at Oman Air for seven years, leaving in February last year before joining Moroccan airline Royal Air Maroc in June 2025. Citing a source, CNN said the profile belonged to the Flydubai co-pilot accused in the incident. Royal Air Maroc said in a statement to the AP that the suspect trained with the airline for only three months last year as part of a pre-employment process but was not selected.
According to reports, the Tel Aviv Tax Authority confirmed that the names of all passengers and crew members were provided to the authorities before the flight departed, adding that the responsibility for providing answers on the vetting matter rests with the Ministry of Transport.
Separately, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) is also investigating Al-Hammami’s links to the country.
