The violence inside the cockpit of FlyDubai flight FZ1073 on September 30 caught the attention of the entire world. There were 174 people on board the Boeing 737 MAX 8 en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The plane was flying at an altitude of about 34 thousand feet. Then Omani co-pilot Hamam Al-Hamami attacked Indian captain Smit Machar. The plane soon descended to about 16,000 feet.

During the incident, first the normal emergency code 7700 and then 7500, indicating unlawful interference with the aircraft, were sent to the aircraft. The injured Captain Machar helped open the cockpit door. After this, the passengers and crew rushed in and subdued the assailant. The plane landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

Hemkhem questions raised anxiety

The matter became more serious after Hamam al-Hamami’s identity was revealed. According to reports, he is a citizen of Oman and his flight training with Oman Air was discontinued in 2024. At the time, security concerns were raised over his alleged extremist views. He later worked in other countries and joined flydubai. Now the investigation is raising questions as to how he became the co-pilot of the plane despite having such information.

9 countries, one incident and many investigations

Syria: According to Israeli media, Hamam was born in the UAE to an Omani father and a Syrian mother. Hammam spent a lot of time in Syria. It has come to light to be influenced by extremist ideas there. This is yet to be confirmed in the investigation.

Oman: Hamam is a citizen of Oman. He worked in Oman Air for seven years. Old records of Hammam and its aviation history are being investigated.

UAE: The plane took off from Dubai. The UAE has formed a special team to investigate the incident. The investigation is also probing the cause, motive, pre-planning and connection to any terrorist activity. The UAE has said it should refrain from rumors until the investigation is complete.

India: Captain Smit Machar is an Indian. Despite the attack, he was instrumental in saving the plane and its passengers.

Israel: The plane was heading to Tel Aviv and most of the passengers were from Israel. Israeli agencies are also investigating the matter. Israel says there were preparations for a 9/11-like attack.

Palestine There are reports of posts related to Palestine appearing in some Hammam-related online content. Pamphlets and literature for Free Palestine were reportedly found in his possession.

Saudi Arabia: The plane landed in Tabuk. Saudi authorities provided necessary assistance to the passengers and crew. Both pilots were later flown to Abu Dhabi. Saudi is also investigating the incident.

Iran: There have been speculations linking the incident to Iran, but so far no evidence of Iran’s role has been found.

America: US President Donald Trump was asked if the US would retaliate if Iran was responsible for the attack. Trump directly replied, “Don’t worry, I’m going to hit you pretty bad.”