Flydubai co-pilot accused of attempted hijacking had prior extremist social-media activity
Investigators say the 29-year-old Omani co-pilot who attacked a flydubai flight in March posted misogynistic and anti-Jewish messages while studying aviation in the UK.
British authorities have linked a series of extremist social-media posts to Hamam al-Hammami, the 29-year-old Omani national accused of attacking the captain of an Israel-bound flydubai flight with a crash axe on March 2. The posts, made between November 2021 and August 2022 on an X account believed to be his, included threats against women and hateful remarks toward Jews and homosexuals.
"His social media accounts clearly show he has been radicalized into jihadist ideology. He talks about killing Jews," an Israeli official told the Times of Israel.
The messages, uncovered by a review of more than 2,000 posts, featured violent language such as threats to "stomp on" women's heads and described women in demeaning terms. Other entries called for severe Islamic punishments against Jews and gay people.
Al-Hammami, who was studying aviation management remotely at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) in the United Kingdom, was dismissed from his previous job at Oman’s national airline last year over concerns about extremist views. On the day of the incident, BNU said its licence to sponsor international students had been suspended for unrelated reasons and that no concerns had been raised about him during his studies. The university is now reviewing his enrolment.
During the flight, al-Hammami allegedly stabbed the cockpit captain, Smit Machchhar, with a crash axe and attempted to seize control of the aircraft, which briefly descended before passengers intervened and subdued him. The incident involved 182 passengers and crew.
A video of Israeli airline jets followed by images of a suicide bomber and al-Qaeda leaders appeared on a LinkedIn profile matching al-Hammami nine hours after the attack, though it is unclear who posted the material.