Fly Dubai Co-Pilot Linked to Al-Qaeda, Posted Videos of Israeli Aircraft

US media outlets have identified the co-pilot involved in the Fly Dubai incident as 29-year-old Omani national Humam al-Hamami. Born in the UAE to a Syrian mother, al-Hamami had previously raised concerns due to his religious and ideological stances. Sources cited by the media indicated that Oman had previously banned him from flying within its airspace, and he was dismissed from professional training due to similar concerns.

Al-Hamami's employment history also raises questions. According to his now-deleted LinkedIn profile, he worked for Oman Air for approximately seven years until February 2025, then moved to Royal Air Maroc in June 2025, leaving in January 2026. CNN confirmed his employment with the Moroccan airline, but his recruitment by Fly Dubai remains unclear.

CNN reported that al-Hamami pre-posted timed content for Wednesday, which included tracking Israeli flights and hinting at connections to Al-Qaeda. Two posts appeared on his LinkedIn profile shortly after the incident, though it is unconfirmed if he scheduled them. One post featured videos from a Boeing 737 MAX cockpit, the same model involved in the incident, showing an El Al flight. This video, verified by CNN as filmed at Dubai International Airport, zoomed in on an El Al plane with flight number OMA624 and the date October 11, 2023, corresponding to a regular Dubai-Muscat route during his time at Oman Air.

Further details from the investigation reveal that al-Hamami is described by an Emirati source as a very introverted, odd, and devout individual. The videos also showed Arkia aircraft. The sequence concluded with images of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden as Al-Qaeda leader, and Humam Khalil Abu Malal al-Balawi, a terrorist who pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda and carried out a suicide bombing in 2009 that killed nine people, including seven CIA officers and contractors.

The second post contained an AI-generated image depicting Islam's three holiest sites connected by a luminous path, accompanied by a militant song about defiance and the fearlessness of death. Both videos were also posted on an Instagram account with the same name before it was deleted. Sources close to the investigation told ABC News that al-Hamami is cooperating and stated his intention was to crash the plane in Israel. These sources also revealed that "extremist materials" were found in his possession in 2024 while he was an intern co-pilot at Oman Air, though he was allowed to continue working in a managerial role.