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:
- Terrorist attack prevented in Saratov Region – FSB
March 11, 2018
Russia’s intelligence service, FSB, prevented a terrorist attack in the Saratov Region, the plotters were killed, FSB reported on Sunday. “The Russian Federal Security Service prevented a terrorist attack in the Saratov Region,” FSB’s public relations department said. “The terrorist attack was plotted by an underground terrorist group.” “On March 11, the criminals, driving a car, opened ...
- At least 3 soldiers injured in two Al-Shabaab attacks in Somalia
March 2, 2018
At least three Somali government soldiers were injured in two separate attacks by terror group Al-Shabaab near Somali capital of Mogadishu on Friday. The police said the three were injured when the militants rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into the military base in Afgoye town, about 30 kms south of Mogadishu but were repulsed by ...
- Burkina Faso attack: Ouagadougou sees gunfire and explosion
March 2, 2018
Gunfire and an explosion have been heard near the army headquarters and the French embassy in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou. Witnesses have reported seeing armed men getting out of a car and opening fire before heading towards the embassy. “An attack is under way,” the French ambassador tweeted. Read more… Source: BBC News
- Neo-Nazi groups recruit Britons to fight in Ukraine
March 2, 2018
Neo-Nazi groups involved in the fighting in Ukraine are actively seeking to recruit British far-right activists, a leading anti-fascist watchdog has warned. At least two Britons are thought to have travelled to the war-torn eastern European country in recent months after encouragement by people linked to the Azov battalion, a notorious Ukrainian fascist militia, according ...
- Families mourn the deaths of four UN peacekeepers
March 1, 2018
The families of the Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers killed by an explosive device in central Mali on Wednesday are mourning their loved ones. The deceased were set to return to the country within just months, but now the families have to wait for the dead bodies instead. Trooper Jamal of Dhumiahayatpur village in Chapainawabganj district left behind ...
- Colombia’s ELN rebels kill five soldiers in bomb attack
February 27, 2018
At least five Colombian soldiers were killed and more than 10 wounded early Tuesday in an attack by the Marxist ELN rebels near the border with Venezuela, the Army said. The attack came one day after the National Liberation Army (ELN) said it would hold a unilateral ceasefire during legislative elections next month. The government had ...
- Explosion rocks Kabul, near US Embassy and NATO headquarters
February 24, 2018
At least two people were killed and seven wounded Saturday in an attack in Afghanistan’s capital for which the Islamic State group claimed responsibility. A suicide bomber struck in the diplomatic area of Kabul near NATO headquarters and the U.S. Emassy, Afghanistan Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said, adding that the casualty count could rise. Meanwhile, at ...
- Hamas teams with Iran and Hizbullah, hits Israeli forces with sophisticated IED
February 23, 2018
In an attack that closely resembled the tactics used by Iran-backed Hizbullah, Hamas on Feb. 17 remote detonated two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) which injured four Israeli soldiers. The sophisticated attack targeted soldiers from Israel’s Golani Brigade as they were attempting to remove a flag that was affixed to the border fence. The soldiers were wounded ...
- Israeli intel thwarts ISIS attack on Australian airliner
February 22, 2018
An elite IDF intelligence unit was successful in exposing and thwarting an Islamic State (ISIS) terror plot to bomb an airliner flying out of Australia at the end of 2017. According to an army announcement on Wednesday, the IDF’s famed 8200 cyber unit uncovered the plot and then relayed the information to Israel’s intelligence community, which shared ...
- Another IED recovered in poll-bound Meghalaya, India
February 20, 2018
Averting a major tragedy, Special Force-10 commandos on Tuesday recovered another Improvised Explosive Device (IED) left by the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) rebels in poll-bound Meghalaya’s East Garo Hills district, police said. “The 5-kg bomb was recovered on the roadside of Cherangre area and it was later detonated on the spot, Meghalaya Police Chief Swaraj ...
- Philippines: Arrested IS terror suspect yields bomb parts
February 20, 2018
A suspected Islamic State (IS) terrorist and his Filipino companion have been arrested in their apartment in Manila, Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa said on Monday. Dela Rosa said Fehmi Lassqued, who carried a Tunisian passport but was earlier identified as an Egyptian born in Syria, was an IS commander who had been ...
- Europe will see increase in terror in 2018, as foreign Isil fighters ‘return home with high-tech skills’
February 13, 2018
The terror threat to Europe will only increase this year, experts have warned, as growing numbers of foreign fighters return home with “high tech” weapons knowledge learned on the battlefield. Scores of jihadists are expected to trickle back to the UK and the continent, bringing with them skills acquired in Syria and Iraq, such as the ...
- New online tool detects and blocks terrorist propaganda
February 13, 2018
The Home Office says it has developed new online technology to automatically detect and block terrorist online content. Created with tech company ASI Data Science, it uses uses advanced machine learning to analyse a video to determine whether it could be Islamic State propaganda. Designed to be used on any platform, it can support the detection of ...
- Four Taliban Militants Killed in Farah Car Bomb Blast
February 12, 2018
The Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoI) said four Taliban insurgents were killed in an explosion triggered by a premature blast in a Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device in Farah province. A press release from MoI stated that four Taliban insurgents riding a motor bomb were on their way to reach their target when the explosives went off. Read ...
- IED blast rips through Benghazi mosque
February 9, 2018
An improvised explosive device went off at Saad Ben Obadah mosque in Majouri neighborhood of Benghazi during Friday prayer leaving 1 person dead and more than 84 others wounded, according to medical sources. Eyewitnesses said the blast caused extensive damage to the mosque as well. Read more… Source: The Libya Observer
