Who is Hamam al-Hammami? Flydubai co-pilot, who stabbed India’s Smit Machchhar

Flydubai co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami has been identified as the individual who stabbed Indian captain Smit Machchhar during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. According to CNN, Israeli and Saudi sources have confirmed his name. Al-Hammami is now in the UAE, facing a terrorism investigation. Various news outlets have pieced together his background, which reveals his extremist ideology.

Al-Hammami worked for Oman Air for nearly seven years, but his radical views were only discovered when the airline found extremist material in his possession during his training as a co-pilot in 2024. The Wall Street Journal reported that Oman had banned him from flying over concerns about his radical ideological beliefs, even though Flydubai hired him anyway.

The Associated Press corroborated this information, stating that despite the ban, Flydubai hired him, allowing him to operate the sensitive route between the UAE and Israel.

Al-Hammami's social media accounts and work history were traced by CNN, revealing that he was born in the UAE to an Omani father and a Syrian mother. He spent considerable time in Syria, where he reportedly became influenced by extremist ideas before relocating to the UAE. A LinkedIn profile under his name indicated he worked at Oman Air for seven years before moving to Royal Air Maroc in June 2025 and then leaving Flydubai in January 2026.

CNN confirmed this profile as his, but the specific details of his extremist material and views remain undisclosed.