Hammam Al Hammami, the Omani co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, was born in the UAE to a Syrian mother, according to the Associated Press. US and Arab media reports indicate that before joining flydubai, he had been grounded in Oman over concerns about extremist leanings and had also spent time in Syria.

The Associated Press identified him on Saturday, October 3, citing three informed sources, including a diplomat from an Arab country in the region and a Western diplomat. UAE authorities and flydubai have yet to officially disclose his identity. In a statement issued the same day, the UAE Attorney-General said, without naming him, that the co-pilot had attacked the captain with the cockpit’s emergency axe and begun carrying out a terrorist act.

ABC News, citing senior intelligence and law enforcement officials, reported that Al Hammami was found with “extremist material” in 2024 while training as a co-pilot with Oman Air and was suspended from flying, although he was allowed to remain with the airline in an administrative role. The Associated Press also reported that he was transferred to an administrative position at Oman Air after being grounded and was later hired by flydubai.

Al Arabiya and Al Hadath, citing an informed source, also reported that Al Hammami had been influenced by extremist ideology while in Syria. According to the source, he left Oman after Omani authorities prevented him from continuing to fly because of concerns about his extremist views.

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Moroccan news outlet Le Desk reported that Al Hammami attended Royal Air Maroc’s theoretical training programme for about three months but did not operate any flights for the airline. An Israeli official also told CNN that he had been working for flydubai for around eight months at the time of the September 30 incident.

The Associated Press said Al Hammami’s Instagram account remained active until the day of the flight and was subsequently deleted. CNN also found posts on his LinkedIn account that were published about nine hours after the incident. They included a video filmed inside the cockpit of a Boeing 737 MAX at Dubai International Airport, showing an aircraft belonging to Israeli airline El Al, as well as images of Al Qaeda figures, including Ayman al-Zawahiri. CNN said it was unclear who published the posts or whether they had been scheduled in advance.

According to ABC News sources, Al Hammami is cooperating with investigators and told them that he had intended to crash the aircraft in Israel. The Associated Press reported that security agencies in four countries in the region, assisted by the United States and Western governments, are investigating his motives. The same Arab diplomat told the news agency that investigators are seeking to determine whether he acted alone or had links to extremist groups.

It remains unclear what background checks flydubai conducted when hiring Al Hammami. Omani authorities have yet to comment publicly on the case.