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A FlyDubai co-pilot who attempted to hijack a Tel Aviv-bound passenger jet with a cockpit crash axe studied at a British university.
Hamam al-Hammami, 29, earned a distance-learning aviation management degree from Buckinghamshire New University in 2023. The UK institution has since said that the qualification involved no practical flight training.
Earlier reporting byThe Independent confirmed that Mr al-Hammami is an Omani national born in the UAE to an Omani father and Syrian mother.
A spokesperson for the university told Press Association: “Our thoughts are with the injured pilot, crew and passengers involved in this incident.
“Hamam al Hammami previously completed a distance-learning course in aviation management. He did not undertake any pilot training at the University.”
Mr al-Hammami was reportedly banned from flying by Omani authorities last year due to his radical views. Following his detention he allegedly told investigators that he intended to crash the airliner in Israel.
Hammam al-Hammami received higher education from a British institution (Reuters)
The revelations come as Israeli investigators arrived in the UAE on Saturday to interrogate the suspect.
Authorities from both nations are focusing on whether Mr al-Hammami operated independently as a “lone wolf” or under the direction of an external extremist network.
According to accounts obtained by Emirati prosecutors, two hours into Wednesday’s flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Hammami seized the emergency axe and repeatedly slashed Indian captain Smit Machchhar.
The struggle sent the Boeing 737 MAX into a sudden 17,000-foot plunge toward the Gulf.
Despite sustaining severe injuries, Captain Machchhar has said he was able to unlock the flight deck door, allowing passengers to force their way inside, subdue Hammami, and stabilise the aircraft before making an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to reporters, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed intelligence services are investigating whether Mr al-Hammami operated under external direction, warning that any accomplices would pay a “heavy price.”
Netanyahu has since warned that accomplices will pay a “heavy price” (Reuters)
As speculation surrounding Mr al-Hammami motives heightens, former US diplomats and regional analysts have suggested the attack carried a “dual target,” and may have been a deliberate attempt to derail the 2020 Abraham Accords, which established commercial air routes between Israel and Gulf states.
The joint investigation is currently focused on how Mr al-Hammami passed employment background checks.
Oman Air previously removed Hammami from flight duties after intelligence officials discovered extremist materials on his devices and noted visits to radical websites, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal and ABC News.
It remains unclear whether Omani officials shared these security concerns with neighbouring states or international carriers.
Mr al-Hammami was later transferred to an administrative desk job before briefly training at Royal Air Maroc, which ultimately rejected his application. FlyDubai then hired him eight months ago.
Former Israeli intelligence officials have said that allowing a national from a country with no diplomatic ties to Israel onto the Tel Aviv route represents a critical failure by Israeli and Emirati security agencies.
Following the incident, regional aviation authorities have launched urgent reviews of all aircrew screening protocols.