Israeli Security Probes Dubai Flight Attack Plot in UAE

Shin Bet agents have traveled to the United Arab Emirates to interrogate the co-pilot of a Flydubai flight who allegedly attempted to crash the plane, which was carrying 174 Israelis. The co-pilot, identified as 29-year-old Omani national Mhamad Al-Hamami, reportedly confessed to investigators that he had planned the attack before being hired by the airline. According to Reuters, citing Israeli officials familiar with the investigation, Al-Hamami applied to Flydubai specifically seeking airlines that flew to Tel Aviv. He allegedly told investigators he had also considered hijacking and crashing the plane on a previous flight to Israel earlier this year but changed his mind, possibly because he recognized someone on board.

Reports indicate Al-Hamami had a history of concerning behavior. He was reportedly removed from flying duties at Oman Air, the state airline of Oman, after "extremist materials" were found in his possession. Despite this, he was hired by Flydubai. CNN reported that videos of cockpits and images of former Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri appeared on his LinkedIn profile hours after the incident. The UAE Attorney General stated that Al-Hamami attacked the captain with an emergency axe in the cockpit in an attempt to carry out a "terrorist act."

The Wall Street Journal reported that Al-Hamami joined Oman Air in 2018 and became a pilot in early 2022. Omani authorities discovered his interest in extremist websites and blogs in 2024 and concluded he could not be trusted as a pilot. He was enrolled in a de-radicalization program and moved to an office role, but Oman did not share its concerns with other countries or officially revoke his pilot's license. He left Oman Air in early 2025 and was rejected by Royal Air Maroc after a three-month training period.

Flydubai hired Al-Hamami in February of this year, reportedly to meet rapid expansion needs. While the airline conducted a criminal background check, it did not contact Oman to verify his professional history. He was subsequently assigned to the sensitive Tel Aviv route. UAE authorities are now investigating Flydubai employees involved in his hiring. The airline stated it would not comment while the investigation is ongoing.

Investigators are examining Al-Hamami's past, including extensive travel to Syria during its civil war and his studies in engineering at the University of Melbourne in Australia between 2015 and 2017. Police in Australia and New Zealand have also opened investigations into his activities in those countries. Despite regulations prohibiting pilots from countries without relations with Israel, such as Oman, from flying to the country, Al-Hamami was not apprehended in Israel. The Israeli Ministry of Transport claims it was unaware it could review passenger and crew lists submitted by foreign airlines, though Flydubai had committed in writing to vetting its pilots.