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:
- DoJ: Founder of Iranian Company Arrested for Providing Material Support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
December 16, 2024
Founder of Iranian Company and his Co-Defendant, an Employee of a U.S. Microelectronics Manufacturer, Also Charged with Violating Export Control Laws in Conspiracy to Procure Sensitive U.S. Technology for Use in IRGC Military Drones Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, 42, a dual U.S.-Iranian national of Natick, Massachusetts, and Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, also known as Mohammad Abedini (Abedini), 38, ...
- Nigeria: Terrorist-bandits gaining improvised explosive expertise
December 16, 2024
A disturbing development that challenges Nigerian military claims of having the upper hand against terrorists has surfaced. Fulani terrorists in Zamfara State now deploy Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), marking a dangerous shift in their tactical operations against terrorism. Two suspected bandits met their end during an IED testing exercise at a camp established by notorious extremist ...
- Somalia: Explosions target homes with CCTV, injure five In Mogadishu
December 16, 2024
At least five people, including children, were injured in a series of landmine explosions in Galmudug village, Garasbaley district, over the past two nights as the number of the people killed in such attacks are increasing. Witnesses said six explosives were strategically placed outside homes equipped with CCTV cameras. No official comment has been made by ...
- India: Villager killed in IED explosion in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada
December 16, 2024
A 35-year-old man was killed after a pressure improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Naxalites went off in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Monday, a police official said. The incident took place at around 10 am near Kosalnar village under Barsoor police station limits when Manaru Akali had gone to collect wood in the forest, the ...
- Russian authorities detain man in connection with car blast that killed Russian officer in Donetsk
December 15, 2024
A man has been apprehended in Donetsk on suspicion of planting a bomb under a Russian officer’s car, while working for Ukrainian intelligence, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has said. The vehicle exploded in the main city of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic last week, killing the officer and wounding his wife, the agency said in a ...
- India: One killed, six arrested in counter-insurgency operation in Manipur
December 14, 2024
The Manipur Police gunned down an armed individual and nabbed six others during an alleged counter-insurgency operation in Thoubal district on Saturday. The incident occurred around 9:45 am at Salungpham Maning Leikai under the jurisdiction of Heirok police station. According to police sources, the armed individuals were travelling in a car and the police initially pursued ...
- Ukraine: Explosion in Central Dnipro, one dead, police officers injured
December 14, 2024
Dnipro Oblast Police reported that one person was killed and several others injured in the explosion, including two police officers who were hospitalized. The explosion occurred on Dec. 14 at approximately 2:45 p.m. A police investigative team, explosives experts, a forensic laboratory, and other emergency services are working at the scene. Police also shared additional photos ...
- UN Security Council renews sanctions against Al-Shabaab terror group
December 13, 2024
The UN Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution renewing the sanctions against al-Shabaab terror group in Somalia until Feb. 28, 2025. The resolution, submitted by the UK, was unanimously adopted by the 15-member Security Council. It allows authorization for maritime interdiction to enforce the embargo on illicit arms imports, the ban on coal exports, and ...
- Europol: Terrorists exploiting global tensions
December 12, 2024
Terrorists continue to adapt their methods and narratives to exploit global events, digital technology, and societal vulnerabilities. The EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (EU TE-SAT) 2024, published today by Europol, provides a detailed overview of the evolving terrorism landscape in the European Union in 2023. In today’s changing world, terrorist actors are continuously adapting their ...
- Afghanistan: ISIS-K claims responsibility for attack on Taliban Ministry of Refugees
December 12, 2024
The ISIS-Khorasan branch has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation of the Taliban in Kabul. On the night of Wednesday, December 11, the group issued a statement on their Telegram channel, acknowledging their role in the attack on Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban’s Minister of Refugees. The ISIS-Khorasan statement also mentioned ...
- Ukraine intel unit dubbed “The Chemists” deployed kamikaze drones and operators to Syria
December 11, 2024
About 20 experienced drone operators and 150 drones were shipped over from GUR to the rebel headquarters in Idlib, Syria, four weeks ago. The Ukrainian military aid was a welcome injection of expertise and firepower for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the rebel group that spearheaded the coup. Whilst the Ukrainian support was not huge, Western intelligence ...
- US military says it defeated Houthi attack on ships in Gulf of Aden
December 10, 2024
Two U.S. Navy destroyers escorting three merchant vessels through the Gulf of Aden defeated an attack by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, the U.S. military said on Tuesday. The Houthis launched multiple drones and a cruise missile while the ships were transiting the Gulf on Monday and Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said in a post on X. ...
- Pakistan: Two killed in motorcycle explosion in Qilla Abdullah
December 10, 2024
On Monday, police reported that two individuals riding a motorcycle laden with explosives were killed in southwestern Pakistan. According to the police, the incident occurred when the explosives on the motorcycle detonated near a police station, killing the riders. The explosion took place in Qilla Abdullah, an area located 75 kilometers north of Quetta, the capital ...
- Iraq: IED blast targets Turkish military convoy in Duhok
December 9, 2024
An improvised explosive device (IED) detonated, targeting a Turkish military convoy in the Bamarni district, north of Duhok, a security source reported on Monday. The source told Shafaq News Agency that “the IED was planted on the roadside and remotely detonated as the military convoy passed.” “The explosion did not result in any human casualties but ...
- Lockerbie wreckage moved to US for bombing trial
December 9, 2024
A section of the American airliner which exploded over Lockerbie 35 years ago is being transported to the US for the trial of the man accused of making the bomb. The wreckage from the fuselage of Pan Am Flight 103 will form part of the evidence in the case against Abu Agila Masud. The Libyan has denied ...
