‘I’m not afraid of death,’ Co-pilot’s first response after trying to crash flydubai flight

DUBAI: A Saudi official involved in the investigation has revealed that Hamam Al-Hammami (29), accused of attempting to crash a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, intended to deliberately crash the aircraft. The official said Hammami also stated that he was not afraid of death. The investigators are examining how Hammami became influenced by extremist ideas and how he was allowed to return to work in the cockpit despite having previously come to the authorities’ attention.

Hammami was found to be regularly visiting extremist websites, following which he was removed from his first aviation employer, the state-owned Oman Air. People familiar with the investigation told The Wall Street Journal that Hammami was subsequently enrolled in a deradicalisation programme and later assigned desk duties.

After leaving Oman Air, Hammami found a job in the UAE. Flydubai hired him in February 2026. It remains unclear what information flydubai had about Hammami’s previous background. Investigators are also looking into whether the airline sought information from Oman before hiring him.

Investigators are also examining the period Hammami spent in Syria. Born to an Omani father and a Syrian mother, Hammami spent much of his adolescence in Syria during the Syrian civil war.

The investigators are examining whether Hammami was drawn to extremist ideologies at a time when Islamist rebels were fighting against the government of Bashar al-Assad. His social media activity in the period leading up to the attack on the flydubai flight could also prove significant to the investigation. More than 3,000 screenshots of posts from Hammami’s X account are reportedly still available through internet archives.

Some of the posts expressed opposition to women working and reflected conservative views. The posts also showed an interest in women wearing the purdah. One post reportedly mentioned creating a fake account to contact Saudi women. In another post, Hammami said that he did not want his wife to work. He later deleted that post.

However, investigators say that such views expressed on social media alone cannot establish when Hammami became violent or confirm that they were the direct reason behind the attack on the aircraft.

Authorities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Israel are investigating whether Hammami planned the attack alone or had links to any organisations. Investigators are also examining whether he had any connections to Iran.