Terrorist Imagery and Extremist Views Discovered on Social Media of Pilot Linked to Flydubai Incident

The pilot suspected of attacking another pilot aboard a Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight was previously removed from his job at Oman’s national airline due to concerns regarding extremist views, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The suspect, an Omani citizen named Hamam al-Hammami, was identified by Saudi state media and an Israeli official. Born in the United Arab Emirates to an Omani father and Syrian mother, al-Hammami spent several years in the UAE.

A LinkedIn profile for Hamam al-Hammami indicated he worked at Oman Air for seven years until February 2025, before joining Royal Air Maroc in June 2025 and leaving in January 2026. The profile did not mention Flydubai, but a source confirmed it belonged to the pilot involved in the incident. A regional diplomat stated the suspect was removed from flight training over radical views and reassigned to another role. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted the suspect likely underwent Islamist radical indoctrination, while an Israeli official stated al-Hammami worked for Flydubai for only eight months.

Hours after the incident, two posts appeared on the LinkedIn profile featuring cockpit clips of Boeing 737 Max aircraft, including shots of El Al and Arkia planes at Dubai International Airport. The video concluded with photos of Ayman al-Zawahiri and Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi. A parallel Instagram account shared the same videos before being deleted. A university source confirmed al-Hammami completed a distance learning course and graduated with a degree in aviation management in 2023 from Buckinghamshire New University.

An analysis of al-Hammami’s deleted Twitter account revealed deeply religious and misogynistic views, including posts about his mother finding a prospective wife willing to wear a niqab and stop working, alongside criticisms of mixed-gender workplaces. Meanwhile, investigations are underway by Israeli agencies and UAE authorities, with UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi stating the pilot attempted a terrorist act by attacking a colleague with a crash axe inside the cockpit.