Suspect in FlyDubai incident was previously identified as security risk


The co-pilot of the FlyDubai plane who allegedly attacked the plane’s captain and attempted to crash a flight bound for Israel on Wednesday is an Omani national who was previously suspended from flying by Oman Air after being identified as a security risk, according to senior intelligence and law enforcement officials.

Multiple sources familiar with the investigation identified the suspected attacker as 29-year-old Hamam Al Hammami.

The officials told ABC News that Al Hammami, while working as a co-pilot trainee for Oman Air in 2024, was found to be in possession of extremist materials. The suspect was allowed to continue working for the airline in an administrative role, the sources said.

Read more…
Source: ABC News


Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Malaysia: Police foiled 26 terror plots, including IED attacks on embassies and public sites, since 2012

    January 28, 2026

    The Counter Terrorism Division (E8) of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) Special Branch has succeeded in foiling 26 attempted terrorist and militant attacks in the country between 2012 to 2024, said Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay. Ayob Khan said among the violent attack plots successfully foiled by the E8 Division of ...

  • Pakistan: Man killed in IED blast in Bajaur

    January 28, 2026

    A man was killed in a blast caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) in War Mamund tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district on Wednesday, according to police. Police and local residents said the explosion occurred near Zaga Deri Sewi bazaar, leaving a man seriously injured. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Niaz Muhammad told Dawn that ...

  • Niger: Three soldiers killed in IED attack near Niamey

    January 27, 2026

    At least three Nigerien soldiers were killed and 10 others injured on Sunday after an army patrol vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) in Bartchawal, Tillabéri Region, about 20 kilometres from the capital, Niamey. Sources said that the incident occurred late in the day along the Niamey–Filingué road axis when the patrol was returning from ...

  • India: 11 security personnel wounded in IED blasts in Chhattisgarh

    January 26, 2026

    Eleven security personnel were injured in six Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blasts during an anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Sunday, police said on Monday. “The injured jawans were airlifted to Raipur for treatment. The IEDs went off during the operation launched following inputs about the presence of Maoists in a forested area near the ...

  • India: 16 IEDs, 100kg Explosives Seized As Security Forces Foil Maoist Plot

    January 24, 2026

    In a major success for security forces combating left-wing extremism in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, a joint operation on Saturday led to the recovery of a significant cache of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and Maoist supplies hidden in dense forest areas. The action took place in the rugged terrain between Bandepara and Neelamadgu villages, falling under the ...

  • Nigeria: Dozens of terrorists killed as ISWAP and Boko Haram clash in Borno

    January 22, 2026

    Dozens of terrorists were killed on both sides after a renewed violent encounter between the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and elements of the Bukura faction loyal to Abu Umaima along the Lake Chad Basin axis of Abadam Local Government Area of Borno. The clash started in the early hours of Tuesday, around 6:00 a.m., ...

  • Afghanistan: ISKP claims responsibility for suicide attack on Chinese restaurant in Kabul

    January 20, 2026

    Islamic State Khorasan claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Chinese restaurant in Kabul’s Shahr-e-Naw area, killing seven people and wounding thirteen others. The explosion occurred at around 3 p.m. on Monday, January 19, at a Chinese restaurant in central Kabul. Taliban authorities confirmed that seven people, including one Chinese national, were killed. Officials said ...

  • Pakistan: Railway track blown up near Dera Murad Jamali

    January 20, 2026

    Train link between Quetta and the rest of the county was suspended for a few hours on Monday as unknown armed men blew up the main railway track near Dera Murad Jamali. Police said some unknown people planted an explosive device at the main railway track in Dera Murad Jamali area of Nasirabad district in the ...

  • Colombia: 26 killed in battle between rival guerrilla factions in Guaviare province

    January 19, 2026

    A major battle between two rival guerrilla organizations in southern Colombia left 26 suspected fighters dead, according to the regional army commander said Monday. Authorities were able to recover the bodies of the suspected guerrillas around La Paz, a township on the border of the Amazon jungle in the Guaviare province. Local organizations and regional authorities ...

  • Afghanistan: Landmine Blast Kills Child in Maidan Wardak

    January 19, 2026

    According to a statement from the Taliban’s provincial police command, the incident occurred on Sunday (January 18) in Puladkhana area of Maidan Shahr, the provincial capital. The statement said the explosion was caused by a landmine left over from previous conflicts and detonated while a group of children were collecting firewood in the area. Local authorities said ...

  • India: Man killed in IED blast in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur

    January 19, 2026

    A 20-year-old man was killed after a pressure Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Naxalites went off in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, police said on Monday. The incident occurred on Sunday when the victim, Aayta Kuhrami, a resident of Kasturipad village under Usoor police station area, had gone to a nearby forest, a police official said. He ...

  • Syria: U.S.-allied fighters say they lost control of a prison holding ISIS militants

    January 19, 2026

    U.S.-allied forces guarding prisons holding thousands of Islamic State group militants in northeastern Syria said Monday that they had lost control of one of the facilities after fighting broke out with fighters loyal to the government in Damascus. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) added that one prison was less than 2 miles from a U.S.-led ...

  • Nigeria: Five injured as IED explodes on Zamfara road

    January 17, 2026

    Five people sustained injuries on Thursday after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated along the Takalafiya-Gadar Zaima road in Bukkuyum LGA of Zamfara state. The blast occurred around 11:30am when a motorcycle carrying five passengers ran over an explosive device believed to have been planted by armed bandits targeting security patrols in the volatile area. Read more… Source: ...

  • U.S. Forces Kill Al-Qaeda Affiliate Leader Linked to ISIS Ambush on Americans in Syria

    January 17, 2026

    TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted a strike in northwest Syria on Jan. 16, that resulted in the death of a leader affiliated with Al-Qaeda who had direct ties to an ISIS terrorist responsible for an ambush which killed two U.S. service members and an American interpreter on Dec. 13, 2025. Bilal Hasan al-Jasim ...

  • Kenya: Two NPR officers killed in IED explosion at Mandera border

    January 15, 2026

    Two National Police Reservists (NPR) have died, while a similar number sustained injuries following an explosion in Mandera. According to police reports seen by The Standard, the officers were manning Kulun Border Point Four yesterday evening when they were hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) believed to have been planted on the ground. “On 14/01/2026 ...