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Co-pilot who attacked Smit Machhar identified; planned to crash plane in Israel, previously banned.
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News18•03-10-2026, 05:59
Co-pilot who attacked Smit Machhar identified; planned to crash plane in Israel, previously banned.
- •The co-pilot who attacked Indian Captain Smit Machhar on a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv has been identified as Hamam Alhamami, an Omani citizen.
- •Al Arabiya English and i24NEWS reports indicate Alhamami intended to crash the plane in Israel.
- •Alhamami was previously banned from flying by Oman Air two years ago due to suspected radical ideological views.
- •Flydubai reportedly hired Alhamami without conducting a background check.
- •After being transferred from Saudi Arabia to the UAE, Alhamami is cooperating with the investigation and told investigators he wanted to crash the plane in Israel.
Key Questions Answered
The co-pilot who attacked Indian Captain Smit Machhar has been identified as Hamam Alhamami, an Omani citizen who spent significant time outside Oman.
Oman Air banned him from flying in 2024 after discovering that he was viewing radical Islamic websites and possessed radical materials, leading the airline to consider him a security risk.
Sources involved in the investigation claim that Hamam Alhamami intended to crash the plane in Israel.
