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Israel plane attacker was banned from flying by Oman over suspected radicalisation - report

Read the original at The Independent ↗
Cite

Zakir-Hussain, M. (2026, October 2). Israel plane attacker was banned from flying by Oman over suspected radicalisation - report. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-flight-flydubai-hijacking-pilot-oman-b3060684.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Independent · collected 2026-10-02 · by Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Quick Summary

A FlyDubai co-pilot who stabbed his captain during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was previously banned by Oman over suspected radicalization, according to reports. The Omani national had been removed from his previous job at Oman’s national airline due to concerns about extremist views but was still hired by FlyDubai. During the attack, the plane made an emergency descent and was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia for a landing. Passengers described moments of panic as the aircraft sharply descended. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the attacker underwent radical Islamist indoctrination and was suicidal, though no motive has been established yet.
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv signaled an emergency and was diverted to land at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. The incident initially raised concerns about a possible hijacking, prompting Israel to scramble warplanes. However, Israeli officials later reported that the emergency signals were due to a physical altercation between the plane's two pilots rather than a hijacking attempt.

The flight, identified as Flydubai Flight FZ1073, transmitted multiple emergency alerts after takeoff and over Jordanian airspace before landing safely in Saudi Arabia. Passengers on board managed to overpower the attacker, who was later identified by UAE officials as Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami. Al-Hammami allegedly attempted to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's airport but was stopped by passengers.

UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi stated that signs of al-Hammami’s radicalization first emerged in 2017 while he was studying engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. He reportedly became influenced by extremist literature and online content glorifying terrorist organizations during this period.

Written for “Flydubai Hijacker's Radicalization Path” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 345 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Flydubai Hijacker's Radicalization Path
Crime & Law · 346 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 11% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Suspect in FlyDubai incident was previously identified as security risk: Officials Same event
ABC News (US)
Hedges 2 of 17 claims Outlet record 70/100
Flydubai hijacker previously barred from flying by Oman over radical beliefs: Report Same event
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 2 of 17 claims Outlet record 70/100
Suspect in flydubai attack was barred from flying in Oman: Media Same event
The Straits Times
Hedges 2 of 10 claims Outlet record 66/100
How an Omani flagged for extremism ended up piloting a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai jet Same event
Times of India
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 7 of 31 claims Outlet record 59/100
UAE says FlyDubai co-pilot attacked captain with axe in “terrorist” act Same event
Euronews
Hedges 4 of 29 claims Outlet record 60/100
Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with crash axe in hijacking Same event
Washington Examiner
Hedges 2 of 17 claims Outlet record 70/100
Flydubai co-pilot attempted 'terrorist attack,' UAE says Same event
Deutsche Welle
Hedges 3 of 16 claims Outlet record 95/100
Omani co-pilot accused of trying to hijack Israel-bound flydubai flight previously banned from flying over radical views: report Same event
New York Post
Hedges 3 of 8 claims Outlet record 66/100
Passengers describe stabbing on Israel-bound plane Different event
BBC News
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 68/100
“Article A describes the incident itself where a pilot stabbed another on a flight, while Article B reports on background information about the attacker's past and how he was previously banned from flying.”
Accused plane hijacker is religious extremist who refused to shake women’s hands: ‘We hired a terrorist’ Same event
New York Post
Hedges 3 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
11%
2 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
346
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-02 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Maryam Zakir-Hussain
14 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 But now, the jostling for power between parties to achieve a governing coalition, and name the next prime minister, could take weeks or even months.
2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Israel exit polls show no clear winner in 2026 elections. What happens next?
🔮 Though his party has conceded defeat in Sunday’s election, Bolsonaro has refused to accept the result of the vote and fled the country after the Trump administration announced it would give him and his family visas.
2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Flavio Bolsonaro arrives in US after Trump gives him visa despite police order to surrender passport
🔮 An inconclusive result would leave Israel in political limbo after the country’s first national election since the October attack in 2023.
2026-10-27 · mixed framing · Israel election 2026 results live: Exit polls suggest deadlock with Eisenkot’s bloc just ahead of Netanyahu
🔮 Reports of explosions, fires and air defence operations circulated on social media, but The Kyiv Independent said it could not independently verify them.
2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Ukraine-Russia war latest: Drone strikes kill three in Belgorod and injure five at Russian industrial plant
🔮 Togloatti mayor Ilya Sukhikh said several industrial facilities were damaged in the attack.
2026-10-24 · mixed framing · Ukraine-Russia war latest: Explosions rock Russian petrochemical plant hit by drone strike
🔮 French prime minister Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced classes would be suspended for the rest of the week in a bid to calm the situation down.
2026-10-06 · assertive framing · Riot police clash with student protesters as France engulfed by mass school protests
🔮 Student protests have gripped France as thousands have rallied in increasingly violent demonstrations, which are expected to hit a peak today.
2026-10-06 · assertive framing · France student protests latest: 50,000 set to demonstrate across Paris today as violent displays escalate
🔮 It comes as Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel was looking into whether the co-pilot had acted under anyone's direction, warning in a video statement released by his office that whoever was involved would pay a "heavy price".
2026-10-03 · assertive framing · Israel flight hijacking latest: UAE calls attack terrorism after Netanyahu says ‘whoever sent him will pay heavy price’
🔮 The Israeli prime minister said that Israel was looking into whether the co-pilot had acted under anyone's direction, warning in a video statement released by his office that whoever was involved would pay a "heavy price".
2026-10-02 · assertive framing · Israel plane attacker was banned from flying by Oman over suspected radicalisation - report
🔮 Ukraine has sought to play down the row as a “diplomatic misunderstanding”, but on Friday South Korean president Lee Jae Myung said his country would take “further action” if Kyiv does not apologise and continues to deny the existence of a confidentiality agreement related to the POWs.
2026-10-02 · assertive framing · Ukraine-Russia war latest: Row breaks out between Kyiv and key ally over captured North Korean soldiers
Also by Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Israel exit polls show no clear winner in 2026 elections. What happens next?
2026-10-28 · The Independent
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2026-10-28 · The Independent
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2026-10-27 · The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Drone strikes kill three in Belgorod and injure five at Russian industrial plant
2026-10-25 · The Independent
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 14 articles by Maryam Zakir-Hussain →

Topics

FlyDubai Israel Israeli Oman Saudi Arabia

Subjects

Israel GPE · 5× FlyDubai ORG · 3× Saudi Arabia GPE · 3× Israeli NORP · 2× Netanyahu PERSON · 2× Oman GPE · 2× CNN ORG · 1× Independent ORG · 1× Omani NORP · 1× the Wall Street Journal ORG · 1×

Narrative

The Israeli PM said: “Obviously there was a loophole here and we’re taking care of that among other things... with the full co-operation, I have to say, of the Emirati government, so we’re both interested in making sure this doesn’t happen again.”
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-02
🔮 The Israeli prime minister said that Israel was looking into whether the co-pilot had acted under anyone's direction, warning in a video statement released by his office that whoever was involved would pay a "heavy price".
2026-10-02 · The Independent
Israel plane attacker was banned from flying by Oman over suspected radicalisation - report · assertive framing

Claims (19 extracted, 2 hedged)

The FlyDubai co-pilot who stabbed his captain had previously been banned from flying over concerns he had radical ideological views, it has been reported. asserted
it → stab → views
Though the pilot- an Omani national - was banned by his country, he was still hired by FlyDubai, according to the Wall Street Journal. uncertain
he → ban → Journal
However, the nature of his radicalisation has not been shared. asserted
nature → share → radicalisation
CNN reported that the pilot had been removed from a previous job at Oman’s national airline last year following concerns about his extremist views. asserted
pilot → report → views
The flight plunged more than 14,000ft in less than 30 seconds as it flew over Saudi Arabia on the journey from the United Arab Emirates to Israel, according to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24. uncertain
it → plunge → website
The flight, carrying 182 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing. asserted
flight → carry → landing
Yaniv Hayun, one of the men who incapacitated the attacker, described running to the cockpit as the plane nosedived. "We pulled the assailant out, I pulled him out. asserted
I → incapacitate → him
After I pulled him out we took control of the plane, I pulled up the yoke (steering control of the plane), I straightened the plane out a bit," he said, talking to reporters upon his return to Israel on Wednesday. asserted
he → pull → Wednesday
Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker was arrested in Saudi Arabia and was undergoing interrogation there. asserted
attacker → say → interrogation
The Israeli prime minister said that Israel was looking into whether the co-pilot had acted under anyone's direction, warning in a video statement released by his office that whoever was involved would pay a "heavy price". asserted
whoever → say → price
Netanyahu on Thursday said that the co-pilot had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and was clearly suicidal, but that so far a motive for his actions had not been established. asserted
motive → say → actions
Pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel are generally barred from flying there, raising questions over how he was allowed on the Flydubai flight. asserted
he → bar → flight
The Israeli PM said: “Obviously there was a loophole here and we’re taking care of that among other things... with the full co-operation, I have to say, of the Emirati government, so we’re both interested in making sure this doesn’t happen again.” asserted
happen → say → government
Oman, unlike the UAE, does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel. asserted
Oman → have → Israel
Asked whether there was evidence of Iranian involvement, Netanyahu said: “It’s too early to say.” asserted
It → ask → involvement
Adam Polovincik, a passenger on the Flydubai flight, described the moment the aircraft plunged more than 17,000ft during the cockpit attack, saying it felt like a “rollercoaster”. asserted
it → describe → rollercoaster
He told the BBC that as the plane nosedived, he hugged his six-year-old son and three-year-old daughter “really hard”. asserted
he → tell → son
He said that he tried to stay calm as the attack unfolded. asserted
attack → say → ?
He said there had been a “huge degree of panic” on the plane as there was a “very, very, very sharp decrease in height”. asserted
He → say → height
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