Soon after, the identity of the Omani co-pilot accused of attacking Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar aboard a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv was disclosed.
Several revelations have come out that he had previously been moved away from flying duties at Oman Air after government surveillance reportedly detected his visits to radical websites.
Sources cited in the reports said that, at one point, al-Hammami shared a video featuring aircraft belonging to Israeli airline El Al in Dubai.
Both posts appeared consecutively on Wednesday, roughly nine hours after the emergency unfolded. His mother is reportedly of Syrian origin, while his father is Omani. The Omani government has not publicly verified his nationality. Authorities are investigating whether al-Hammami’s alleged assault on Captain Machchhar inside the cockpit was a deliberate act of terror intended to crash the aircraft.
The security incident took place on September 30 aboard a Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
After moving to Dubai, al-Hammami joined Flydubai without undergoing formal background vetting through the Omani government, sources told CBS News. sources said al-Hammami was not born in Oman and had spent most of his life abroad Although he holds Omani citizenship. CNN said it remained unclear whether al-Hammami authored the posts or whether they were scheduled in advance. The image was accompanied by a forceful poem recited in the background, with themes of defiance, fearlessness in the face of death and the defence of dignity, according to CNN.
