The Flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking his captain on a Tel Aviv-bound flight had reportedly raised serious security concerns before joining the Dubai airline. New reports say Omani authorities had previously stopped him from flying because of concerns about extremist views.

The co-pilot has been identified in media reports as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national. His identity has been reported by Reuters and other major outlets, although UAE authorities and Flydubai had not publicly confirmed his name as of October 6.

The revelation has created a much bigger question than what happened inside the cockpit. Investigators now need to understand how a pilot reportedly flagged in Oman later secured a job with Flydubai and ended up operating a route to Israel.

Co-Pilot Was Reportedly Flagged Before Joining Flydubai

AGN / According to reports, Omani authorities had previously barred al-Hammami from flying because of concerns about radical views. AP also reported that he had been removed from flying duties at Oman Air before eventually joining Flydubai.

The reports raise obvious questions about what information Flydubai received before hiring him. It remains unclear exactly what the airline knew about the earlier concerns or what information Omani authorities shared with counterparts outside the country.

More recent reports say that al-Hammami had been grounded by Oman Air after concerns about extremist material and had gone through a deradicalization program. Those details have intensified scrutiny of the information available before he entered another commercial cockpit.

Still, investigators have not publicly established that he belonged to a militant organization. AP reported that investigations had not found a confirmed connection to a militant group, an important distinction as authorities examine his motives and background.

Reports about his international aviation history have also started emerging. Authorities in New Zealand confirmed that the co-pilot completed part of his flight training there between November 2018 and May 2019 through a United Kingdom-based company.

New Zealand Police are now reviewing his activities during that period. Australian counterterrorism authorities are also investigating his connections to Australia, widening an inquiry that now stretches across several countries. Some media reports have also linked al-Hammami to possible travel in Syria. That claim has not been firmly established by the strongest available reporting, so it should not be treated as a confirmed part of his history.

What is much clearer is that concerns about his beliefs reportedly existed before the Flydubai incident. Investigators now face the task of establishing why those concerns did not prevent him from entering another airline cockpit.

Flight FZ1073 Turned Into a Midair Emergency

GTN / The attack happened aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30. UAE authorities later described what happened aboard the aircraft as an attempted "terrorist act."

According to UAE authorities, the co-pilot attacked the captain with an emergency crash axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft. More than 170 people were aboard the flight, with reports indicating that many passengers were Israeli.

Captain Smit Machchhar was injured during the cockpit attack. The situation became even more dangerous as the aircraft entered a steep descent, losing thousands of feet of altitude while the struggle unfolded.

Flight tracking data confirmed a major emergency aboard FZ1073. Flightradar24 reported that the aircraft transmitted both the 7700 general emergency code and the 7500 code used for unlawful interference. The captain managed to get the cockpit door open despite his injuries. Passengers and crew then helped overpower the co-pilot, according to UAE authorities and subsequent reporting.

The aircraft diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia and landed safely. Flydubai confirmed that everyone aboard was accounted for following the emergency landing.

Saudi authorities initially detained the accused co-pilot. He was later transferred to the United Arab Emirates, where he remains in custody while investigators examine his alleged actions and possible motives. UAE prosecutors have classified the incident as an attempted terrorist attack. Investigators are examining the evidence to establish the full circumstances and determine if anyone else played a role.