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Flydubai Co-Pilot Acted Alone in Hijack Attempt, Investigations Reveal
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News18•04-10-2026, 22:15
Flydubai Co-Pilot Acted Alone in Hijack Attempt, Investigations Reveal
- •Reports indicate the flydubai co-pilot, identified as Hamam al-Hammami, likely acted alone in attempting to hijack the Israel-bound flight and attack Captain Smit Machchhar.
- •Al-Hammami, an Omani national, was previously barred from flying in Oman due to concerns about his radical ideological views, according to The Wall Street Journal.
- •International investigators, including those from the UAE, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, are probing the incident, with early findings suggesting a lone-wolf attack with no known links to a group or government.
- •Captain Machchhar, despite being wounded, managed to alert crew and passengers, who intervened to regain control of the aircraft after it plummeted thousands of feet.
- •Australian security agencies are investigating al-Hammami's links to Australia, where he studied between 2015 and 2017, though his visa cancellation in 2019 was not on character grounds.
Key Questions Answered
International investigators and Israeli officials indicate that the co-pilot accused of the attack, identified by media as Hamam al-Hammami, likely acted alone in a lone-wolf incident.
Despite being wounded during the assault by the co-pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door and alert passengers and crew, who rushed in to regain control of the aircraft.
Australian security agencies launched an investigation because the suspect previously spent about two years studying in the country as a student between 2015 and 2017 before his visa was later cancelled.
