Key Takeaways

• Hamam al-Hammami was removed from Oman Air due to extremist concerns before joining Flydubai.
• Deleted social media posts contained violent imagery and misogynistic rhetoric linked to the suspect.
• Israel and the UAE are jointly investigating how an Omani citizen boarded a Tel Aviv-bound flight.

A Flydubai pilot suspected of attacking a colleague on a Tel Aviv-bound flight was previously removed from a job at Oman Air due to concerns about his extremist views, sources told CNN. The suspect, identified as Omani citizen Hamam al-Hammami, had spent time in the UAE, Israel, and the UK before the incident.

The revelation of al-Hammami’s radicalized history and deleted social media activity has triggered immediate scrutiny of aviation security protocols. Authorities are now investigating how he was cleared for employment despite past red flags and his background.

The pilot is an Omani citizen named Hamam al-Hammami, according to sources and an Israeli official, though Saudi state media also identified him. Born in the UAE to an Omani father and Syrian mother, he lived in the UAE for several years. A LinkedIn profile linked to him stated he worked at Oman Air for seven years, leaving in February 2025, before joining Royal Air Maroc in June 2025 and departing in January 2026.

One source confirmed this profile belongs to the pilot involved in Wednesday’s incident, though the page has since been deleted. A second source, a regional diplomat, clarified that al-Hammami was removed from flight training at Oman Air due to radical views and reassigned to a non-flying role. This raises critical questions about his subsequent eligibility for flight deck positions at other carriers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Thursday that the suspect underwent “Islamist radical indoctrination.” An Israeli official noted al-Hammami worked for Flydubai for only eight months. A fourth source confirmed his prior employment at Royal Air Maroc. These revelations highlight gaps in background checks within the aviation industry, with CNN reaching out to Oman Air, Royal Air Maroc, and Dubai government media for comment. Flydubai declined to comment while the incident remains under investigation.

Violent Online Footage

Only two posts were made to the deleted LinkedIn profile, published roughly nine hours after the incident. It remains unclear if they were scheduled or posted live. The first post featured clips filmed in Boeing 737 Max cockpits, matching the Flydubai 737 Max 8 that diverted to Saudi Arabia.

Geolocated to Dubai International Airport, one clip zooms in on an El Al aircraft. The cockpit screen showed flight number OMA624 and date October 11, 2023, corresponding to a Dubai-to-Muscat route during his Oman Air tenure. Other clips showed El Al and Arkia planes. The video ended with photos of Ayman al-Zawahiri, former al Qaeda leader, and Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, a 2009 suicide bomber loyal to al Qaeda.

The second post displayed an AI-generated image of Islam’s three holiest sites linked by a glowing trail, accompanied by a defiant poem about rejecting humiliation and fearing no death. Al-Hammami’s LinkedIn indicated he studied at Buckinghamshire New University in England. A source confirmed a man by that name graduated with an aviation management degree in 2023. Similar videos appeared on a deleted Instagram account before Meta was contacted.

Misogynistic Rhetoric Revealed

A CNN analysis of al-Hammami’s deleted Twitter account, containing nearly 3,000 tweets from 2021-2022, revealed deep misogyny. He discussed his mother’s struggles finding a wife willing to wear a niqab and stop working. In one February 2022 post, he noted women agreed once they learned he was a pilot.

His posts also attacked mixed-gender workplaces, claiming they corrupted women. A January 2022 post asked how many religious girls were ruined in such environments. The analysis used an AI-powered semantic search model to sort these deleted posts, exposing his ideological stance prior to the attack.

Questions mount over how an Omani citizen, who does not recognize Israel, served on a Tel Aviv-bound flight given Israel’s strict security. An Israeli official stated Shin Bet, Mossad, the military, and the Transportation Ministry are investigating how he joined the crew. The UAE attorney general, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, stated the pilot attempted a terrorist act by attacking his colleague with a crash axe.

UAE authorities have jurisdiction as the aircraft is registered there. Netanyahu told CNN’s Jim Sciutto that the assailant was interrogated in Saudi Arabia, where the plane diverted, with Israel involved. He spoke with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, who agreed to Israel’s participation in interrogations.

Aviation Security Protocols Face Global Scrutiny

The discovery of Hamam al-Hammami's extremist history and violent online content before his employment by Flydubai exposes significant vulnerabilities in global aviation security screening. As Israel and the UAE collaborate on the investigation, airlines and regulatory bodies worldwide may face increased pressure to implement stricter, cross-border background checks. This incident will likely drive immediate reforms in hiring practices for pilots with international tenure, ensuring that past radicalization or violent rhetoric does not go unnoticed by future employers.