Hamam Alhammami, an Omani citizen born in the UAE to an Omani father and Syrian mother, was reportedly barred from flying by his native Oman over concerns that he had adopted extremist views.
New Delhi: The suspected social media profiles of flydubai co-pilot Hamam Alhammami, who attempted to sabotage the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, are under scrutiny, with reports suggesting that his now-deleted LinkedIn profile had made two posts featuring terrorists in about nine hours after the incident.
According to a report by CNN, the profile bearing the name ‘Hamam Alhammami’ on LinkedIn had posted a series of clips showing the cockpits of a Boeing 737 Max aircraft, with the person filming zooming in on a plane that belongs to the Israeli airline El Al. The video ended with a photo of Ayman al-Zawahiri, a terrorist who led al-Qaeda after the death of Osama Bin Laden, and a photo of Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi – who killed nine people in a 2009 suicide bombing in the US.
Another post reportedly showed an AI-generated image showing Islam’s three holiest sites in Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem, with a poem in the background speaking of rejecting humiliation, not fearing death, and defending one’s dignity.
However, the authenticity of the account could not be verified.
It is also not clear if another person made the posts from Alhammami’s account or if they were scheduled.
Alhammami’s now-deleted X account showed him as “deeply religious” and “misogynistic”, reported CNN.
According to the report, the co-pilot had discussed the difficulties his mother faced in finding him a prospective wife who would accept his conditions that she wear a ‘niqab’, a face covering, and stop working after marriage. “They all refused. Then my mother then told them, ‘my son is a pilot’, and then they all suddenly agreed,” a post from February 2022 reportedly said.
Another X post allegedly made by Alhammami reportedly spoke about how mixed-gender workplaces have a “corrupting” effect on women. “How many respectable, religious girls have been ruined in mixed-gender work environments and manipulated?” the post reportedly read.
Alhammami, an Omani citizen born in the UAE to an Omani father and Syrian mother, was reportedly barred from flying by his native Oman over concerns that he had adopted extremist views. However, he was allowed to continue working for the airline in an administrative role. The LinkedIn profile had said that Alhammami worked at Oman Air for seven years and left the airline in February 2025. He then joined Royal Air Maroc in June 2025 and quit in January this year before joining flydubai.
Despite the ban, Alhammami was hired by flydubai – the Dubai-based airline – allowing him to fly on the sensitive route connecting the United Arab Emirates and Israel.
Reports also suggested that Alhammami had intended to crash the flydubai aircraft in Israel.
Hamam Alhammami studied aviation at UK University?
Sources with ABC News suggested that a threadbare internet biography page believed to belong to Alhammami indicated that he had studied aviation management at a British university – Buckinghamshire New University – and engineering at an Australian university. The report said that while Alhammami had completed a three-year distance-learning course and graduated with a degree in aviation management in 2023, he did not take pilot training at the university.
Alhammami, earlier this week, tried to sabotage the flydubai aircraft, which was carrying over 170 passengers, including 24 children, and later stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar, who tried to stop him. Despite being injured, the Indian pilot unlocked the cockpit door, allowing crew and passengers to intervene and overpower the attacker.
As the plane, cruising at about 34,000 feet, began dropping at roughly 23,000 feet per minute before reaching about 15,600 feet, two trainee pilots sitting at the back took over the aircraft and diverted it to Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
Both the Indian pilot – who is praised as a ‘hero’ globally, and the accused co-pilot were taken to a hospital.
