The investigation into the flydubai dramatic cockpit attack aboard has taken a chilling turn, with the Omani co-pilot accused of attacking Indian Captain Smit Machchhar reportedly telling investigators that he wanted to crash the aircraft and was not afraid of dying. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, a Saudi official briefed on his interrogation, told that the co-pilot had extremist views and his first employer had barred him from flying passenger aircrafts and assigned him a desk job.
The accused, identified as 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, is now being questioned by authorities in the United Arab Emirates after being brought back from Saudi Arabia. The aircraft had made an emergency landing in Tabuk following the attack.
According to investigators cited in the report, Hammami allegedly attacked Captain Machchhar with an onboard crash axe before attempting to take control of the aircraft. Despite suffering serious injuries, Machchhar managed to reach and open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene and overpower the attacker. The flight was carrying 174 passengers.
UAE probes terror angle
The UAE Attorney General has described the incident as a terrorist act and said the co-pilot had allegedly planned the assault. Authorities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Israel are investigating the attack, including the suspected motive and whether Hammami had any links to outside groups or powers.
Investigators are also examining Hammami's background and possible radicalisation. According to people familiar with the investigation cited by the WSJ, he was born to an Omani father and Syrian mother and had spent time in Syria during its civil war.
His online activity has also come under scrutiny. More than 3,000 screenshots of posts from his deleted X account reportedly remain available through the Internet Archive. Some posts expressed conservative views about women and marriage.
Questions over his aviation career
Hammami's previous aviation career has emerged as another key area of the investigation. People familiar with his background told the WSJ that Oman Air had previously barred him from flying after authorities became aware of his interest in extremist websites. He was subsequently assigned a desk role and reportedly underwent a deradicalisation programme. He later sought employment elsewhere and was eventually hired by flydubai in February this year. Reports have raised questions about what information was available to the airline during its recruitment process and how extensively he was vetted.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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