UAE Prosecutor Says Flydubai Co-Pilot Radicalized In Australia

The UAE Attorney General, Dr. Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, stated that Flydubai co-pilot Hammam al-Hammami drifted toward extremism while studying in Australia.

Al-Hammami, 29, was detained after allegedly attempting to hijack Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30. Initial interrogations revealed al-Hammami drew inspiration from the 9/11 attacks. The findings indicated his drift toward extremism emerged in 2017 while he was a student in Melbourne, Australia, at RMIT University. Al-Hammami allegedly prepared psychologically and physically by intensifying exposure to terrorism-promoting material and training in boxing.

He admitted acting alone, though investigations continue to verify this claim. Al-Hammami attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with an emergency crash axe in the cockpit but was overpowered by passengers and another crew member. The aircraft, carrying 182 people, was safely landed in Saudi Arabia by an off-duty relief pilot. Al-Hammami, an Omani national, began working for Flydubai in January 2026.