The co-pilot who attempted to hijack an Israel-bound flight posted videos of al-Qaeda leaders and a series of clips appearing to show plans to target Israeli planes three years ago.
asserted
who → attempt → planes
Omani national Hamam Al Hammami, 29, severely wounded captain Smit Machchhar using the onboard crash axe as he attempted to take control of the Flydubai plane, which was heading towards Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning.
asserted
which → wound → morning
Passengers and crew grappled with the co-pilot to regain control of the plane, which had plummeted 14,000ft in just 29 seconds.
asserted
which → grapple → seconds
It is believed a British off-duty pilot was among the saviours.
asserted
pilot → believe → saviours
Al Hammami, who studied at a British university, had previously worked with Oman's national airline as a trainee in 2024 but was removed from flying because of concerns that he may have been influenced by radical groups from time spent in Syria, according to officials.
uncertain
he → study → officials
He was then moved to an administrative job at Oman Air.
asserted
He → move → Air
According to reports by CNN, two posts were made to a LinkedIn page matching Al Hammami's identity, nine hours after the attack.
uncertain
posts → accord → attack
The first post reportedly featured a series of clips filmed in the cockpits of a Boeing 737 Max aircraft.
uncertain
post → feature → aircraft
One clip, geolocated to Dubai International Airport, zoomed in on the plane that belongs to the Israeli airline El Al.
asserted
that → geolocate → airline
The cockpit screen showed the flight number – OMA624 – and the date, October 11, 2023, which matches the time when Al Hammami worked at Oman Air.
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Hammami → show → Air
The flight number corresponds to a flight that usually travels from Dubai to Muscat.
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that → correspond → Muscat
Other clips showed more planes from El Al, and one from another Israeli airline, Arkia.
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clips → show → airline
It ends with a photo of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who led al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden's death, and a photo of Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, who killed nine people in a 2009 suicide bombing.
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who → end → bombing
The second post on the profile shows an AI-generated image of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, Islam’s three holiest sites, linked by a glowing trail.
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post → show → trail
In the background, a poem is being recited, speaking of rejecting humiliation, not fearing death and defending one’s dignity.
asserted
poem → recite → dignity
The suspected attacker has been identified as Hamam Al Hammami, an Omani national
The co-pilot (pictured) used the cockpit's crash axe in his attempt to take control of the Flydubai plane in the 'terrorist attack'
Graphic footage filmed by passengers on the flight shows the wounded pilot Smit Machchhar lying on the floor as others tend to him
The LinkedIn account has since been deleted, and it is not known who published the posts or whether they were scheduled in advance.
The profile showed that Al Hammami worked at Oman Air for seven years, leaving in February 2025, and joined Royal Air Maroc in June 2025 before departing in January 2026.
asserted
Hammami → suspect → January
It made no mention of Flydubai.
asserted
It → make → Flydubai
It was not immediately clear to what extent the co-pilot was vetted when he was hired by UAE-based airline Flydubai.
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he → vet → Flydubai
However, it was confirmed today by a Gulf diplomat that he had undergone standard security checks before being hired, but it appears the checks focused on whether he had been convicted on criminal charges and didn't go deeper into examining his background for potential signs of radicalisation.
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he → confirm → radicalisation
Royal Air Maroc confirmed that Al Hammami had undergone three-month training with the airline in 2025, but his application to work there afterwards was rejected.
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application → confirm → 2025
The United Arab Emirates, which is leading the investigation, is now working to establish whether he acted as a 'lone wolf or has any connection with any extremist groups'.
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he → lead → groups
Al Hammami was born in the UAE, and his mother is Syrian.
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mother → bear → UAE
He obtained Omani nationality from his father.
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He → obtain → father
He completed a three-year distance-learning course at Buckinghamshire New University and graduated with a degree in aviation management in 2023.
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He → complete → 2023
The university said that Al Hammami did not take any pilot training at the school.
asserted
Hammami → say → school
According to the university’s website, its aviation management courses 'look into the background operations, logistics, security and management of the aviation industry'.
uncertain
courses → accord → industry
It is understood he also studied engineering at a university in Australia.
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he → understand → Australia
According to state news agency WAM, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said 'the co-pilot had attempted to carry out a terrorist act' and had 'attacked the captain in the cockpit with the emergency axe and tried to take control of the aircraft'.
uncertain
pilot → accord → aircraft
On Friday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the suspect had undergone 'Islamist radical indoctrination'.
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suspect → say → indoctrination
In a post on X, UAE senior adviser Anwar Gargash branded the attack 'a dangerous terrorist act'.
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Gargash → brand → attack
Al Hammami, who was transferred Thursday from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates, is understood to be 'co-operating'.
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who → transfer → Emirates
A Flydubai spokesman in an email said the airline could not comment beyond its official statements and acknowledged 'there are many questions at this stage'.
uncertain
airline → say → stage
In his first public comments on the incident, Flydubai Chief Executive Ghaith al Ghaith on Friday said that the flight diverted after a 'safety incident' inside the cockpit.
asserted
flight → say → cockpit
Airlines are generally required to carry crash axes in the cockpit that could be used in an emergency to break open a window or break open a panel to access a fire.
uncertain
that → require → fire
The axes are generally stored in the cockpits where the crew can reach them, but they aren't accessible to passengers.
asserted
they → store → passengers
Video footage at the time captured the terrifying screams and cries of passengers onboard Flight FZ1073 that plunged into an erratic descent.
asserted
that → capture → descent
The flight, carrying 182 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing.
asserted
flight → carry → landing
It transmitted a general emergency signal using a squawk code – four-digit numbers used for in-flight communication – of 7700 while making a U-turn over the border between the two countries.
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It → transmit → countries
While flying over Saudi Arabia, it briefly issued a code of 7500, signalling unlawful interference or a hijacking.
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it → fly → interference
Officials feared the incident could have become another 'September 11' attack, adding that passengers had prevented an 'Israeli 9/11' by tying up the assailant.
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passengers → fear → assailant
…and 53 more, not listed.
The Aporia
