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Hamam al-Hammami

(Left) Hamam al-Hammami, the copilot who tried to bring down a flydubai flight to Israel in a terror attack on September 30, 2026, seen in an undated image from his recently deleted LinkedIn profile; (right) al-Hammami seen after he was subdued and bound on the plane. (Channel 12 screenshot)
Pilot moved toward extremism as early as 2017 in Australia
UAE confirms flydubai copilot was planning 9/11-style ‘suicide attack’ on Ben Gurion Airport
By Reuters and ToI Staff
Attorney general says Hamam al-Hammami used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to 'familiarize himself with route and airport,' prepared by viewing pro-terror material and taking boxing lessons
Passengers from flydubai flight FZ1073 walk through the arrivals hall at Ben Gurion International Airport, after their original flight from Dubai to Israel made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia following a terror attack by the copilot, who attacked the captain and tried to crash the plane, September 30, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
October 8, 2026, 2:03 am
As with Oct. 7, so too with Sept. 30’s flydubai attack: A failure to prevent obvious deadly threats, and a refusal to take responsibility
The gaping holes in security for passengers on foreign airlines serving Israel truly boggle the mind. Until they are clearly addressed, travelers should be very careful in their choices… And so, too, should Israeli voters
By David Horovitz
A flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft is pictured on the tarmac after landing at Ben Gurion Airport on September 30, 2026. (Jack GUEZ/AFP)
October 7, 2026, 10:40 pm
Saudi Arabia launching its own air safety probe into flydubai attack, sources say
Probe said likely to test international cooperation mechanism for flight safety, is separate from UAE’s criminal investigation into Omani terrorist
By Reuters and ToI Staff
Illustrative: Passengers at the Ben Gurion International airport near Tel Aviv, August 23, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
October 7, 2026, 4:04 am
Israelis could lose US visa waiver after flydubai attack revealed security lapses — report
US delegation said expected in Israel to review compliance with 2023 agreement; flydubai reportedly seeks OK to resume Israel flights, but Regev nixes idea; Transportation Ministry refused security help last year — report
By Stav Levaton, ToI Staff, Lazar Berman and Sharon Wrobel
A flydubai plane takes off from Ben Gurion airport on September 30, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)
October 6, 2026, 2:06 pm
Israel was prepared to shoot down flydubai jet during attempted terror attack — report
CBS says fighter jets were scrambled after cockpit went silent; passenger who handcuffed copilot terrorist says group who tackled him briefly considered whether they needed to kill him, fearing he still had a knife
By ToI Staff and Reuters
Flights take off from Ben Gurion Airport on September 30, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)
October 4, 2026, 7:17 pm
Flydubai terrorist said to tell investigators he intended to crash plane into Ben Gurion Airport
Copilot Hammami then tried to crash airliner in desert after hero pilot opened cockpit door, passengers burst in; also said to reveal he originally planned attack for July, but canceled at last moment as he had a friend among crew members
By Nava Freiberg and ToI Staff
A flydubai plane takes off from Ben Gurion airport on September 30, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)
October 4, 2026, 4:59 pm
Despite years of warnings, Transportation Ministry, required to check foreign flights, hasn’t done so
Former top ministry official blames Minister Regev for flydubai incident, but she denies responsibility; regional sources say Israel raised no red flags over crew
By Ariela Karmel and Lazar Berman
Illustrative: A room imitating an Australian police station is seen at an abandoned scam centre in O’Smach town on the Thai-Cambodian border, on September 7, 2026. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP)
October 4, 2026, 4:17 pm
Australia probing flydubai copilot, who studied at a Melbourne university
Hamam al-Hammami reportedly visited radical mosques and browsed extremist websites while in country, with intel services said to hold file on him
By Reuters and ToI Staff
Transportation Minister Miri Regev attends a Likud party conference ahead of the party’s primary elections in the northern city of Haifa, August 4, 2026. (Sharon Leibel/Flash90)
October 4, 2026, 4:45 am
Regev passes buck on probing pilots, as Israel said ‘racing’ to ID more potential threats
As flydubai fallout continues, Transportation Ministry says flights aren’t 100% safe and it doesn’t do background checks on foreign pilots; report: Omani attacker had flown to Tel Aviv before but Israel knew nothing about him
By ToI Staff
Captain Smit Machchhar (left) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Danny Danon via X, Screenshot/Ma’ayan Toaf/GPO)
October 4, 2026, 2:11 am
Flydubai captain says copilot asked to pray, then struck him from behind; describes exactly how he opened cockpit door
Speaking to PM, Smit Machchhar says terrorist Hamam al-Hammami kept crew outside from using code to enter cockpit; report says pilots from Iran, Syria, Iraq have flown airliners to Israel, and that al-Hammami had done so before
By Lazar Berman and ToI Staff
A sculpture made by India’s sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik depicts India’s pilot Smit Machchhar, the captain of flydubai flight FZ 1073, at a beach in Odisha’s Puri city on October 1, 2026. (AFP)
October 3, 2026, 5:16 pm
UAE says flydubai copilot used cockpit emergency ax to attack captain in ‘terrorist act’
Gulf state’s top prosecutor says probe into Omani attacker ongoing; Dubai’s crown prince visits wounded captain, says he ’embodied highest degrees of courage, care for human life’
By Agencies and ToI Staff
Hamam al-Hammami, the copilot who tried to bring down a flydubai flight to Israel in a terrorist attack on September 30, 2026, in an undated image from his deleted LinkedIn profile.
October 3, 2026, 3:20 am
Flydubai terrorist named as Hamam al-Hammami; was banned from flying by Oman for suspected extremism
ABC says Omani copilot who stabbed captain has indicated to investigators he intended to crash the plane in Israel; CNN says social media accounts in his name posted videos after the attack showing Israeli planes filmed from other cockpits and including al-Qaeda figures
By ToI Staff and Agencies
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