Flydubai Hijacker Expressed Violent Views During UK University Studies
Co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, who attacked the captain of a Flydubai flight, made misogynistic and radical statements on social media while studying in Britain.
Hamam al-Hammami, the 29-year-old co-pilot accused of attempting to hijack a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, reportedly made religiously-tinged social media posts advocating violence against women and praising Russia's invasion of Ukraine while studying at a British university. Al Hammami allegedly used an onboard crash axe to severely wound Captain Smit Machchhar during the incident on Wednesday.
While enrolled in a distance-learning aviation degree at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) from which he graduated in 2023, an account linked to Al Hammami appeared to support severe punishments under Islamic law. In one online exchange, the user wrote to 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 striking a woman, the user commented, "He gave her a pre-emptive slap so she would redefine her boundaries, just as Russia slapped Ukraine to adjust its borders."
Al Hammami, an Omani national whose mother is Syrian, was previously removed from flying duties by Oman Air in 2024 due to concerns about potential radicalization from time spent in Syria. He was subsequently moved to an administrative role at the airline. It is unclear to what extent standard security checks, which focused on criminal convictions rather than radicalization, were conducted when he was hired by Flydubai.
An Israeli official stated that Al Hammami's social media accounts indicated radicalization into jihadist ideology and included references to killing Jews. The UAE, leading the investigation, is working to determine if Al Hammami acted alone or had connections to extremist groups.
On the day of the attack, BNU confirmed its license to sponsor international students had been suspended by the Home Office, though the Home Office stated this was unrelated to Al Hammami or the Flydubai incident and pertained to historic recruitment practices.
Al Hammami, who was transferred to the UAE from Saudi Arabia, is reportedly cooperating with investigators. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the suspect as having undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination."