Flydubai attacker studied at British university, backed violence against women, Russia’s war

A Flydubai co-pilot held over an attempted hijacking wrote posts backing violence against women while at a UK university.

6 min readOct 4, 2026 09:46 AM IST First published on: Oct 4, 2026 at 09:37 AM IST

A social media account believed to be linked to Hamam al-Hammami repeatedly mentions ‘stomping on’ women. (Photo: LinkedIn)

A day after the alleged attacker on flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv flight has been identified as Hamam Al-Hammami, fresh details have started to emerge of the Omani national. Al-Hammami’s social media posts, especially his stance on women and Russia’s war on Ukraine, and his extremist views during this study at a British university have now surfaced.

During his aviation study at Buckinghamshire New University, Al-Hammami’s social media posts backed violence against women and harsh religious punishments. He also backed Russia’s war in Ukraine. The accused is now in custody in Abu Dhabi. The UAE prosecutor general has called the incident an attempted terrorist attack.

This comes days after a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned into an emergency on Wednesday, when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with the crash axe kept in the cockpit. The Boeing 737 Max dropped about 17,000 feet before passengers and crew overpowered the co-pilot, and the plane landed in Saudi Arabia. Since then, the questions have moved from what happened in the cockpit to who the co-pilot is, and how he came to fly passengers.

Israel’s defence minister has described it as a “jihadist” attack, The Telegraph says. The captain who was attacked, Smit Machchhar, is Indian.

What al-Hammami’s social media posts show?

The Telegraph reviewed more than 2,000 posts from an account that appears to be linked to him, written between November 2021 and August 2022, while he was enrolled at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU). The posts backed violence against women and harsh religious punishments. The Independent reports that he earned a distance-learning degree in aviation management at BNU in 2023, and the university says he did no pilot training there. The Conservatives are now asking for tighter checks on international students, including those who study online.

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The account used the name “Pilot Hamam al-Hammami” and the handle @PilotHamam. Its owner described himself as an Omani civilian pilot from Muscat, and gave details that match al-Hammami, including that his mother is Syrian.

According to The Telegraph, the posts include backing for violence against women, support for harsh punishments based on Islamic law, abuse of gay people and sexual insults. In one reply to a woman, the account said it would “stomp” on her head. In another exchange, about a man who hit a woman, the account compared the act to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which it appeared to praise.

The paper says the account also argued that a man accused of blackmailing women should be executed instead of jailed for five years. It cited a Koran passage on offenders being killed or crucified.

The Telegraph says these posts were all made while al-Hammami was a student at BNU, which he is believed to have attended remotely from Muscat. A pilot who took the same course at the time told the paper he never met any other student. A former lecturer said al-Hammami’s name did not ring a bell, and that many online students do not attend live sessions because lectures are recorded.

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What does the university say, and why are tighter checks being called for?

The Telegraph understands that no one raised a concern or complaint about al-Hammami while he was at BNU. The university has told the paper it will review his time there in light of the “material now emerging”.

A BNU spokesman said the course covered aviation operations, such as mergers, sustainability and finance, and that entry was based on standard requirements. He said pilot training is checked separately, through airport security clearance and airline hiring checks. The university also said it has safeguarding and Prevent policies.

On the day of the attack, BNU said the Home Office had suspended its licence to sponsor international students over concerns about its compliance. The Home Office and the university both told The Telegraph the suspension had nothing to do with al-Hammami or the attack. The university has 20 days to respond before the licence is revoked.

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, told the paper that universities should do more vetting at admission, because people on online courses can still influence others and use their British credentials.

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Figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show BNU had 1,530 students from outside the UK in 2024-25, about 8 per cent of its 18,490 students.

What happened on the flight, and what are investigators asking?

The Independent reports that about two hours into the flight, al-Hammami took the crash axe and slashed at Captain Machchhar. The plane dropped about 17,000 feet. The Telegraph says Machchhar, though badly hurt, opened the cockpit door so passengers and crew could overpower al-Hammami. The plane landed in Saudi Arabia, in Tabuk.

However, al-Hammami allegedly told investigators he meant to crash the plane in Israel. Israeli investigators arrived in the UAE on Saturday to question him. Officials in both countries are trying to learn whether he acted alone or with a network. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said accomplices will pay a “heavy price”. Some former US diplomats and regional analysts have said the attack may have aimed to damage the 2020 Abraham Accords, The Independent adds.

The joint investigation is currently focused on how al-Hammami passed employment background checks.

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Oman Air previously removed Hammami from flight duties after intelligence officials discovered extremist materials on his devices and noted visits to radical websites, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal and ABC News.

It remains unclear whether Omani officials shared these security concerns with neighbouring states or international carriers.

The paper adds that supporters of al-Qaeda have used the incident in their propaganda, though no group has claimed it.

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