{
  "id": 11799624,
  "title": "Flydubai hired Omani pilot without background check despite extremist concerns - report",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/flydubai-hired-omani-pilot-without-background-check-despite-extremist",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-04T00:12:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-910483"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Emirati airline Flydubai recently hired an Omani pilot, Hamam al Hamami, despite concerns over his background, sources revealed to CBS. The airline reportedly bypassed a background check with the Omani government before hiring Al Hamami, who was the co-pilot responsible for an attempted hijacking of Flydubai flight FZ1073 to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. During the incident, Al Hamami stabbed the Indian pilot, Smit Machchhar, and nearly caused the plane to crash. However, Israeli passengers and off-duty crew members managed to take control of the situation and land the aircraft in Saudi Arabia. The Omani government had been monitoring Al Hamami's activities while he worked for Oman Air and found that he had visited extremist websites, leading to his transfer from a pilot position to an office role at the company. Al Hamami's resignation ultimately led him to apply for a position at Flydubai, where he currently serves. Sources also noted that Al Hamami had dual citizenship and lived outside Oman for most of his life, with his mother being Syrian and his father being Omani.",
  "summary": "The Omani government had been monitoring al-Hamami during his tenure with Oman Air - the airline where he had previously worked - and discovered that he had visited extremist websites.",
  "key_points": [
    "Flydubai hired Omani pilot Hamam al Hamami without background check.",
    "Al Hamami involved in attempted hijacking of flight FZ1073 to Tel Aviv.",
    "Omani government monitored Al Hamami's extremist website visits."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The incident suggests lax vetting processes at Flydubai may compromise airline safety, as the carrier apparently prioritized filling a pilot position over addressing legitimate concerns about the candidate's background.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}