Flydubai hijacker called for women to be 'stomped on' in religious rants while studying at British university
The co-pilot who attempted to hijack an Israel-bound flight said women should be 'stomped on' in religious rants on social media while studying at a British university, the Daily Mail understands.
Hamam al-Hammami, 29, severely wounded captain Smit Machchhar using the onboard crash axe as he tried to take control of the Flydubai plane on its way to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
Passengers and crew grappled with Al Hammami to regain control of the plane, which plummeted 14,000ft in just 29 seconds.
While enrolled at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) - where he studied for a three-year distance-learning degree in aviation before graduating in 2023 - Al Hammami seemingly encouraged violence towards women in a series of social media posts, praising giving them a 'pre-emptive slap'.
He also appears to have commended Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
'Pilot Hamam al-Hammami', an account strongly linked to Al Hammami which has since been deleted, appeared to support severe punishments justified by reference to Islamic law.
In one exchange, the user told a woman: 'I'd stomp on your head, wipe the floor with you, make you an example to others, and then divorce you:).'
Another post, made during a discussion about a man striking a woman, said: 'He gave her a pre-emptive slap so she would redefine her boundaries, just as Russia slapped Ukraine to adjust its borders:).'
Hamam Al Hammami (pictured), the suspected attacker, is an Omani national
The co-pilot (pictured) used the cockpit's crash axe in his attempt to take control of the Flydubai plane
Al Hammami worked with Oman's national airline as a trainee in 2024 but was removed from flying because of concerns that he may have been influenced by radical groups from time spent in Syria, according to officials. He was then moved to an administrative job at Oman Air.
Two other posts were reportedly made to a LinkedIn page strongly matching Al Hammami's identity just nine hours after the attack.
The first post reportedly featured a series of clips filmed in the cockpits of a Boeing 737 Max aircraft. One clip, geolocated to Dubai International Airport, zoomed in on the plane that belongs to the Israeli airline El Al.
The cockpit screen showed the flight number – OMA624 – and the date, October 11, 2023, which matches the time when Al Hammami worked at Oman Air. The flight number corresponds to a flight that usually travels from Dubai to Muscat.
Other clips showed more planes from El Al, and one from another Israeli airline, Arkia.
It ends with a photo of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who led Al Qaeda after Osama Bin Laden's death, and a photo of Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, who killed nine people in a 2009 suicide bombing.
The second post on the profile shows an AI-generated image of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem – Islam's three holiest sites – linked by a glowing trail. In the background, a poem is being recited, speaking of rejecting humiliation, not fearing death and defending one's dignity.
On the day of the attack, BNU said its licence to sponsor international students had been suspended by the Home Office over fears regarding its compliance with sponsorship duties.
It said 'many of the issues raised by the Home Office relate to historic international student recruitment activity'.
The Home Office said the suspension had been unrelated to Al Hammami or the Flydubai attack.
Al Hammami is accused of attacking the plane's Indian pilot in what the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general described as an attempted terrorist attack.
An Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Thursday: 'His social media accounts [say] clearly that he has been radicalised into jihadist ideology. He talks about killing Jews.'
Footage filmed by passengers shows wounded captain Smit Machchhar lying on the floor as others tend to him
A LinkedIn account linked to Al Hammami, which has been deleted, showed he worked at Oman Air for seven years, leaving in February 2025, and joined Royal Air Maroc in June 2025 before departing in January 2026. It made no mention of Flydubai.
It was not immediately clear to what extent the co-pilot was vetted when he was hired by UAE-based airline Flydubai.
However, it was confirmed today by a Gulf diplomat that he had undergone standard security checks before being hired – but it appears these checks focused on whether he had been convicted on criminal charges and didn't go deeper into examining his background for signs of radicalisation.
Royal Air Maroc confirmed that Al Hammami had completed three months of training with the airline in 2025, but his application to work there afterwards was rejected.
The UAE, which is leading the investigation, is now working to establish whether he acted as a 'lone wolf or has any connection with any extremist groups'.
Al Hammami was born in the UAE and his mother is Syrian. He obtained Omani nationality from his father.
He completed a three-year distance-learning course with Britain's Buckinghamshire New University and graduated with a degree in aviation management in 2023.
The university said that Al Hammami did not take any pilot training at the school.
According to the university's website, its aviation management courses 'look into the background operations, logistics, security and management of the aviation industry'.
It is understood he also studied engineering at a university in Australia.
On Friday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the suspect had undergone 'Islamist radical indoctrination'.
In a post on X, UAE senior adviser Anwar Gargash branded the attack 'a dangerous terrorist act'.
Al Hammami, who was transferred Thursday from Saudi Arabia to the UAE, is understood to be 'co-operating'.
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