The co-pilot accused of trying to seize control of an Israel-bound flight posted religiously charged messages on social media that appeared to endorse violence against women while he was studying at a British university, the Daily Mail understands.
Hamam al-Hammami, 29, allegedly attacked captain Smit Machchhar with the aircraft’s emergency crash axe as he attempted to take over the Flydubai jet travelling to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
Passengers and crew members fought with al-Hammami to restore control of the aircraft, which plunged 14,000ft in just 29 seconds during the incident.
Al-Hammami studied for a three-year aviation degree through distance learning at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU), graduating in 2023. During his time there, he appeared to promote violence against women in a series of social media posts, including one that praised the idea of delivering a “pre-emptive slap”.
He also appeared to express support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
An account named “Pilot Hamam al-Hammami”, which was strongly linked to him before being deleted, appeared to advocate harsh punishments purportedly based on Islamic law.
In one exchange, the account told a woman: “I’d stomp on your head, wipe the floor with you, make you an example to others, and then divorce you:).”
In another post discussing a man hitting a woman, the user wrote: “He gave her a pre-emptive slap so she would redefine her boundaries, just as Russia slapped Ukraine to adjust its borders:).”
Hamam al-Hammami, the suspected attacker, is an Omani national
The co-pilot (pictured) used the cockpit’s crash axe in his attempt to take control of the Flydubai plane
Officials said al-Hammami joined Oman’s national airline as a trainee in 2024 but was taken off flying duties amid concerns that he could have been influenced by radical groups during time spent in Syria. He was subsequently reassigned to an administrative role at Oman Air.
Two further posts were reportedly uploaded to a LinkedIn profile closely matching al-Hammami’s identity just nine hours after the alleged attack.
The first reportedly contained several cockpit videos filmed aboard a Boeing 737 Max. One clip, geolocated to Dubai International Airport, focused on an aircraft operated by the Israeli airline El Al.
A cockpit display showed the flight number OMA624 and the date October 11, 2023, corresponding to the period when al-Hammami was working for Oman Air. That flight number is generally associated with a route between Dubai and Muscat.
Additional footage showed other El Al aircraft, along with a plane operated by another Israeli carrier, Arkia.
The video concluded with images of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama Bin Laden as Al Qaeda leader, and Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, the suicide bomber responsible for killing nine people in 2009.
The second post featured an AI-generated image depicting Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem—the three holiest sites in Islam—connected by a glowing path. A poem played in the background, referring to rejecting humiliation, refusing to fear death and defending personal dignity.
On the day of the incident, BNU said the Home Office had suspended its licence to sponsor international students over concerns about whether it was meeting its sponsorship obligations.
The university said that “many of the issues raised by the Home Office relate to historic international student recruitment activity.”
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The Home Office said the suspension was not connected to al-Hammami or the Flydubai incident.
Al-Hammami is accused of attacking the plane’s Indian pilot in what the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general described as an attempted terrorist attack.
An Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Thursday: ‘His social media accounts [say] clearly that he has been radicalised into jihadist ideology. He talks about killing Jews.’
Footage filmed by passengers shows wounded captain Smit Machchhar lying on the floor as others tend to him
A LinkedIn account linked to al-Hammami, which has been deleted, showed he worked at Oman Air for seven years, leaving in February 2025, and joined Royal Air Maroc in June 2025 before departing in January 2026. It made no mention of Flydubai.
It was not immediately clear to what extent the co-pilot was vetted when he was hired by UAE-based airline Flydubai.
However, it was confirmed today by a Gulf diplomat that he had undergone standard security checks before being hired – but it appears these checks focused on whether he had been convicted on criminal charges and didn’t go deeper into examining his background for signs of radicalisation.
Royal Air Maroc confirmed that al-Hammami had completed three months of training with the airline in 2025, but his application to work there afterwards was rejected.
The UAE, which is leading the investigation, is now working to establish whether he acted as a ‘lone wolf or has any connection with any extremist groups’.
Al-Hammami was born in the UAE and his mother is Syrian. He obtained Omani nationality from his father.
He completed a three-year distance-learning course with Britain’s Buckinghamshire New University and graduated with a degree in aviation management in 2023.
The university said that al-Hammami did not take any pilot training at the school.
According to the university’s website, its aviation management courses ‘look into the background operations, logistics, security and management of the aviation industry’.
It is understood he also studied engineering at a university in Australia.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the suspect had undergone ‘Islamist radical indoctrination’.
In a post on X, UAE senior adviser Anwar Gargash branded the attack ‘a dangerous terrorist act’.
Al Hammami, who was transferred on Thursday from Saudi Arabia to the UAE, is understood to be ‘co-operating’.
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