Flydubai Co-pilot's Radical Social Media Views Under Scrutiny Following Cockpit Incident
· World · Times of India, France 24, NDTV
Investigators are examining deleted social media posts by Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani co-pilot accused of attacking Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar aboard a Flydubai flight on September 30. A CNN analysis of nearly 3,000 deleted tweets from 2021 and 2022 revealed posts in which al-Hammami expressed views that prospective wives should wear a niqab and stop working after marriage. The co-pilot also questioned the impact of mixed-gender workplaces, writing that religious women could be ruined in such environments. Additionally, a LinkedIn account bearing his name posted cockpit footage and images of former al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri hours after the cockpit incident. The posts represent his past online statements, and investigators have not yet established a motive for the attack inside the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight.
Why it matters
The investigation directly concerns aviation security on international routes carrying Indian passengers and crew, while highlighting the extremist online footprint of an active commercial airline pilot.
Read the original report — Times of India
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