Rome, Oct. 3 (LaPresse) – The pilot suspected of assaulting his colleague aboard a FlyDubai flight bound for Tel Aviv has been identified. According to CNN, he is 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami. The pilot, US media report, had posted images and videos linked to extremist figures on his social media profiles. Two sources familiar with the matter and an Israeli official identified the suspect as al-Hammami; Saudi state media also confirmed his identity. The man is reportedly born in the United Arab Emirates to an Omani father and Syrian mother, and spent several years in the country. Previously, al-Hammami had worked for Oman Air for seven years, leaving the company in February 2025. CNN reports that a LinkedIn profile in his name indicated that he was subsequently hired by Royal Air Maroc in June 2025, before leaving the position in January 2026. The profile has since been removed. The LinkedIn profile contained only two posts, both published about nine hours after the incident. CNN reported that it is unclear who had posted them or whether they had been scheduled in advance. The first post included several videos filmed in the cockpit of a Boeing 737 Max. One of the clips, geolocated by CNN at Dubai International Airport, showed an aircraft belonging to the Israeli flag carrier El Al. The video also showed aircraft operated by El Al and another Israeli airline, Arkia. It ended with images of Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda leader after the death of Osama bin Laden, and Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, an al-Qaeda affiliate responsible for a 2009 suicide attack in which nine people were killed, including seven US CIA officials and contractors.
Middle East: FlyDubai pilot identified, social media contains terrorist-related videos
Rome, Oct. 3 (LaPresse) – The pilot suspected of assaulting his colleague aboard a FlyDubai flight bound for Tel Aviv has been identified. According to CNN, he is 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami. The pilot, US media report, had posted images and videos linked to extremist figures on his social media profiles. Two sources familiar with the matter and an Israeli official identified the suspect as al-Hammami; Saudi state media also confirmed his identity. The man is reportedly born in the United Arab Emirates to an Omani father and Syrian mother, and spent several years in the country. Previously, al-Hammami had worked for Oman Air for seven years, leaving the company in February 2025. CNN reports that a LinkedIn profile in his name indicated that he was subsequently hired by Royal Air Maroc in June 2025, before leaving the position in January 2026. The profile has since been removed. The LinkedIn profile contained only two posts, both published about nine hours after the incident. CNN reported that it is unclear who had posted them or whether they had been scheduled in advance. The first post included several videos filmed in the cockpit of a Boeing 737 Max. One of the clips, geolocated by CNN at Dubai International Airport, showed an aircraft belonging to the Israeli flag carrier El Al. The video also showed aircraft operated by El Al and another Israeli airline, Arkia. It ended with images of Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda leader after the death of Osama bin Laden, and Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, an al-Qaeda affiliate responsible for a 2009 suicide attack in which nine people were killed, including seven US CIA officials and contractors.