Who is Hamam al Hammami? FlyDubai pilot who ‘stabbed captain and tried to hijack plane’ studied at British university

The FlyDubai pilot who allegedly stabbed his co-pilot in an attempted terrorist attack has been named for the first time.

The co-pilot has been identified as Hamam al Hammami, an Omani national who studied aviation management at a UK university.

Al Hammami attempted to take control of the flight on Wednesday from Dubai to Tel Aviv after attacking Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said.

The flight carrying more than 170 people plunged 17,000ft (5,200m) two and a half hours into its journey, before passengers managed to overpower the attacker and successfully take control of the plane.

The UAE attorney general told state media that investigations were ongoing to determine the full circumstances and motives of the incident.

Hamam al-Hammami

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Israeli officials claim the co-pilot was trying to crash the plane in a 9/11-style tragedy.

Hammami, who has a Syrian mother and was born in the UAE, had been banned from flying by Oman over fears he had adopted extremist views before he was hired by Flydubai, sources told the Associated Press

The UAE-based airline said the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation.

A UK university has confirmed the co-pilot at the centre of the alleged hijack attempt was enrolled on one of its remote courses.

He completed a three-year distance-learning course at Buckinghamshire New University and graduated with a degree in aviation management in 2023, the university said.

It added he did not take any pilot training at the university, that has campuses in London.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: "Our thoughts are with the injured pilot, crew and passengers involved in this incident.

"Hamam al Hammami previously completed a distance-learning course in aviation management.

"He did not undertake any pilot training at the University."