Security Failures Preceded FlyDubai Cockpit Attack, WSJ Reports

By Staff, Agencies

Multiple security and vetting failures in Oman, the UAE and "Israel" allowed a pilot previously deemed too radical to fly to reach the cockpit of a Tel Aviv-bound FlyDubai passenger jet and attack its captain, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing sources.

The incident occurred Wednesday aboard a Boeing 737 MAX 8 traveling from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport with around 180 passengers and crew.

About two hours into the flight, co-pilot Hamam Hammami asked Captain Smit Machchhar for permission to pray before striking him several times with an emergency axe, sending the aircraft into a dangerous dive.

The badly wounded captain managed to open the locked cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to enter and overpower Hammami.

Two other FlyDubai pilots traveling on the flight took control and eventually landed the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia.

The UAE attorney general has described the incident as an attempted terrorist act, while the investigation remains ongoing.

According to the WSJ, warning signs surrounding Hammami had emerged years earlier. Omani authorities reportedly reviewed his online activity while he worked for Oman Air and concluded that he “showed too much interest in radical ideology to trust as a pilot.”

Hammami was subsequently barred from flying, placed in a deradicalization program and transferred to a desk position. However, Oman reportedly did not share its concerns more broadly or formally revoke his pilot license in a way that would likely have alerted UAE authorities.

When FlyDubai later hired Hammami, the airline conducted a criminal background check but did not contact Oman to verify his employment history, according to the report. Hammami subsequently flew the sensitive Dubai to Tel Aviv route several times.

The WSJ identified another missed opportunity in "Israel." Although FlyDubai submitted its passenger and crew manifest before departure, Hammami was not flagged despite Omani pilots being barred from flying into "Israel" because Oman and "Israel" do not have diplomatic relations.

"Israel's" Transportation Ministry said it did not believe it had the authority or intelligence capability to vet flight crews and had never requested access to a passenger-information database established in 2023.

The incident has raised questions over how security information is shared between aviation authorities and whether existing vetting systems are capable of identifying individuals previously considered unsuitable for sensitive aviation roles.