CAIRO (AP) — The co-pilot suspected of stabbing the captain of an Israel-bound FlyDubai flight before passengers and others stopped the attack is an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami, three people with knowledge of the situation, including a Gulf and Western diplomat, said on Saturday.
All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The Gulf diplomat said investigations are underway to establish whether he acted as a “lone wolf or has any connection with any extremist groups.”
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Hamam al-Hammami is the Omani national identified as the co-pilot in the FlyDubai incident who allegedly stabbed the captain during the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Hamam al-Hammami was previously barred from flying by Oman due to concerns that he had adopted extremist views, including visiting radical websites.
During the flight, Hamam al-Hammami stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar, leading to a struggle where passengers and crew intervened to regain control of the aircraft before it made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The investigation is ongoing to determine whether Hamam al-Hammami acted alone or had connections to extremist groups, as well as how he was able to work in the cockpit despite prior concerns.
The swift actions of Captain Machchhar and the passengers potentially saved the lives of all 182 people aboard, as they managed to subdue al-Hammami before a crash could occur.
The co-pilot, who officials said nearly crashed the flight with 182 people aboard, was barred from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted extremist views, a person familiar with the matter said.
The co-pilot was then hired by the United Arab Emirates-based airline FlyDubai, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. It was not immediately clear to what extent he was vetted when he was hired. Oman’s barring of him was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
How the co-pilot managed to be working in the cockpit on Wednesday morning is a central question for investigators.
Israel says has it has long-standing agreements with foreign carriers to keep pilots from flying into the country if they are citizens of nations that don’t maintain diplomatic relations with Israel. Israel and Oman do not have formal diplomatic relations.
There was no immediate comment from FlyDubai, the UAE government or Oman Air. Oman’s government has said nothing publicly in response to repeated questions since the incident.
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Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. AP writer Anna Johnson contributed to this report from Washington.
