Hamam Alhamami is now the name at the center of the investigation into the shocking Flydubai cockpit incident of Indian Captain Smit Machchhar.
Alhamami has been identified as the Omani co-pilot and is accused of attacking Machchhar and trying to interfere with the flight control of the aircraft as it was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026.
Alhamami was born in the United Arab Emirates to an Omani father and Syrian mother, according to sources close to the investigation. He was supposedly spending a lot of time out of Oman and in Syria.
There are also reports where he had been employed by Oman Air and problems were found in his training as a pilot.
CBS News reported that Alhamami had already been in pilot training with Oman Air but was moved to an office position after government surveillance apparently flagged concerns about material he was accessing online.
Oman Air later resigned from him. Other stories have described the situation differently, saying he was removed from flight training because of the alleged radical views. These are still the subjects of investigation.
That said, Alhamami had earlier worked for other airlines before joining Flydubai. He was working for Flydubai for around eight months before the incident, NDTV said. Investigators are investigating how he was able to return to cockpit duties after concerns raised during his prior aviation career.
The incident came as the Boeing 737 was on its way to Tel Aviv. Alhamami is said to have attacked Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit.
The plane fell into a steep descent and according to the witnesses, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door and crew members and passengers had to intervene. Two other off-duty pilots on board were also involved in the rescue.
The aircraft made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The passengers and crew were brought to safety, and Machchhar and Alhamami were later flown to the United Arab Emirates. The case of Alhamami is now under investigation and his possible motive is still under investigation.
Another area that investigators are looking into is Alhamami’s social media activities. Posts linked to accounts with his name were reported to contain images or material associated with extremist figures, CBS News and others said.
But such stories have not by themselves established the true motive behind the cockpit attack, which is still under investigation.
Israeli and regional authorities are also investigating whether Alhamami acted alone and whether there were any wider connections behind the incident. The motives or connections have been questioned but the investigation is ongoing and many aspects have not been publicly disclosed.
For the time being, Hamam Alhamami is identified in international media reports as the co-pilot accused in the Flydubai cockpit attack.
The case has also raised questions about aviation security, pilot vetting and how earlier security concerns can be handled if someone later seeks employment with another airline.
