UAE wants death penalty for flydubai co-pilot who stabbed pilot in terror attack
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is seeking the harshest possible punishment, potentially including the death penalty, for Hamam al-Hammami over the attack on the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073, Israeli news outlet Ynet reported. The report has also mentioned that several Israeli officials are assisting the UAE in the probe.
The September 30 Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, carrying over 170 people, was forced into an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after al-Hammami attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar with the cockpit's crash axe and tried to take control of the aircraft. Passengers and crew members intervened, while other pilots helped stabilise the plane.
The UAE has described the incident as a terrorist attack. Al-Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani national, was detained in Saudi Arabia and later brought back to the UAE for questioning.AL-HAMMAMI SAID HE WANTED TO CRASH PLANE
During questioning in Saudi Arabia, al-Hammami told investigators that he wanted to crash the plane and was not afraid of death, according to a Saudi official briefed on his interrogation and cited by The Wall Street Journal.
Investigators are examining whether he had been radicalised during his time in Syria, where he spent part of his life during the country's civil war. His online activity is also being scrutinised.
More than 3,000 screenshots of posts from his deleted X account remain available through the Internet Archive. Some of the posts expressed opposition to women working and a preference for religious women who wear the veil.
Investigators are also looking into his earlier career in aviation and how he was able to return to the cockpit after concerns had previously been raised about his conduct.OMAN AIR HAD BARRED HIM FROM FLYING
Before joining flydubai, al-Hammami worked for Oman Air. People familiar with his background told The Wall Street Journal that Oman Air had barred him from flying after authorities became aware of his interest in browsing extremist websites.
He was subsequently put through a deradicalisation programme and assigned a desk job, according to people familiar with his background.
Al-Hammami later sought employment elsewhere and reportedly tried to join Royal Air Maroc in 2025. He eventually joined flydubai in February this year.
The developments have raised questions over how he was able to return to flying duties and secure a job with another airline despite his earlier history.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the UAE generally conducts extensive security checks when hiring pilots, but it could not establish what vetting flydubai carried out before employing al-Hammami. People briefed on his background said Oman would have shared information about him if another country had sought it for employment vetting. Oman, however, received no such request, they said.ONLINE ACTIVITY UNDER SCRUTINY
Investigators are also examining material linked to al-Hammami's online presence.
A deleted social-media account believed to have belonged to him contained posts that are now being examined as part of the probe. India Today has not independently verified that the accounts or material belonged to the co-pilot.
Among the material under scrutiny are posts and videos linked to aviation, as well as images associated with former al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri and another al-Qaeda figure, Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi.
Al-Hammami had also posted about his interest in flying and described the significance of his first solo flight and the experience of landing an aircraft carrying passengers.
He studied aviation in the UAE and later completed a remote-learning course in aviation management at Buckinghamshire New University in England.- Ends
