The United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities have detained two Maldivian co-pilots employed by flydubai in connection with the September 30 security incident aboard flight FZ1073, involving Indian Captain
Smit Machchaar, officials confirmed. The state-backed flight crews were taken into custody on October 3 as investigators broaden their probe into the background and associates of the Omani co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, who attacked Machchaar. Investigators revealed that the two Maldivian nationals maintained close personal and professional ties to al-Hammami. Reports indicate they worked together, shared flight shifts, and may have resided in the same residential building. Counter-terrorism officials are currently interrogating the pilots to establish the exact nature and frequency of their contact—including shared flights, social gatherings, and private digital communications—to determine if al-Hammami ever explicitly expressed extremist views, discussed martyrdom, or referenced 9/11-style attacks.
A ‘LONE WOLF’ DRIVEN BY AL-QAEDA IDEOLOGY
According to UAE investigators, al-Hammami has confessed to acting entirely alone. Forensic analysis of his social media accounts uncovered imagery of prominent al-Qaeda figures, including Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi — the operative behind the 2009 suicide bombing of a CIA base in Khost, Afghanistan. These posts were frequently juxtaposed with footage of Israeli military aircraft.
While pro-al-Qaeda media and Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have publicly lauded al-Hammami as a “hero” who revived the legacy of the September 11 strikes, UAE intelligence officials emphasize there is no evidence of an official operational link to al-Qaeda, ISIS, Hamas, or any other established militant organisation.
Instead, authorities view him as a classic self-radicalized “lone wolf” who grew deeply aggrieved over geopolitics and absorbed extremist ideology over nearly a decade.
PREMEDITATED PLOT TARGETING TEL AVIV ROUTE
The investigation has established that the concept of turning a passenger jet into a suicide weapon—a hallmark of al-Qaeda’s operational doctrine—became firmly rooted in al-Hammami’s mind due to his obsession with the 2001 US attacks.
He specifically targeted flydubai because the carrier operates a direct route between Dubai and Tel Aviv. Intelligence logs show he booked and flew on two earlier flights along the exact same route purely for reconnaissance and assessment before executing the September 30 attempt.
SECURITY SCREENING UNDER SCRUTINY
The widening probe has raised critical vulnerabilities regarding aviation screening and hiring protocols within the region. A central line of inquiry for global aviation watchdogs and UAE investigators is how al-Hammami successfully cleared flydubai’s stringent security and background checks, despite prior red flags and security concerns raised during his previous time in Oman.
Investigators are now systematically reviewing whether the two detained Maldivian co-pilots underwent the same screening processes, and whether internal vetting mechanisms failed to detect signs of radicalization within the commercial cockpit.
The investigation remains active as authorities continue to cross-reference digital forensics with intelligence briefs.
