Israeli investigators currently believe that the Flydubai co-pilot who allegedly tried to crash Flight FZ1073 while it was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv most likely acted alone, although the investigation remains ongoing and authorities have not ruled out the possibility that he had connections to a terrorist organization, foreign government or other outside actors.

The preliminary Israeli assessment represents an important development in the investigation, particularly after President Trump raised the possibility of Iranian involvement and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said authorities were examining whether the attacker had been sent by someone else. Investigators stressed that the lone-wolf assessment is preliminary and that all avenues remain under examination.

The attack occurred Wednesday aboard Flight FZ1073 as the Boeing 737 MAX traveled from Dubai toward Tel Aviv with 172 people aboard. According to Israeli and Emirati officials, the co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit and attempted to send the aircraft crashing toward the ground.

Emirati authorities have since disclosed that the weapon was not a knife, as initially reported, but the emergency crash axe kept inside the cockpit. The UAE attorney general has formally described what occurred aboard the aircraft as an attempted terrorist act.

Despite being wounded in the attack, Machchhar managed to fight off the co-pilot long enough to unlock the cockpit door. Israeli passengers and Flydubai crew members then rushed in and subdued the attacker, while two off-duty pilots traveling aboard the flight helped regain control of the aircraft and divert it to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, for an emergency landing.

Machchhar has since described the moment the attack began, saying that the co-pilot had been praying shortly beforehand. “While he was praying, out of respect, I was just looking at the front and not at the back. And suddenly there was a big blow to the back of my head. My first thought was that there was a catastrophic damage to the aircraft. After that, the blows kept coming, one after another. And that’s when I realized that it’s not the aircraft, it’s the other guy who was in the cockpit with me.”

The suspect was taken into custody after the emergency landing and initially questioned by Saudi authorities. He was subsequently transferred to the United Arab Emirates, where he is undergoing additional interrogation. Israeli representatives have traveled to the UAE to participate in the investigation.

President Trump on Thursday publicly raised the possibility that the attacker had ties to Iran, while making clear that the investigation had not been completed.

“We’re working on it right now,” Trump said. “They’re being very open with us. I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes. But we’re working on it right now.”

Netanyahu, however, was more cautious when initially discussing the attack with CBS News, saying that investigators had not yet determined precisely what motivated the co-pilot.

“I don’t think it was a hijacking,” Netanyahu told CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil, adding, “I think it looks like a suicide attempt.”

Netanyahu subsequently said that information gathered during the investigation indicated that the attacker had undergone Islamist radicalization and was suicidal. According to Netanyahu and witnesses aboard the aircraft, after the co-pilot was restrained, he repeatedly demanded that those around him kill him.

Israeli dentist Dr. Shota Musaev, who treated Machchhar after the cockpit was opened, said the subdued co-pilot repeatedly asked to be killed. “After two minutes he – he said to me, kill me. Kill me. And said to Yanif (ph), kill – kill me, sometimes. That’s – that’s it.” Asked whether the attacker had said it repeatedly, Musaev replied, “Yes. Yes, yes.”

Although authorities have not formally released the co-pilot’s identity, multiple sources familiar with the investigation have identified him as Hamam al Hamami, an Omani national believed to be 29 years old.

Investigators have uncovered a series of apparent warning signs in al Hamami’s background. He previously entered pilot training with Oman Air, but Omani government surveillance reportedly found that he had been visiting extremist websites. Oman Air subsequently removed him from flying duties and transferred him to an office position.

One source familiar with his employment history said al Hamami later resigned from Oman Air after being placed on desk duty and left the airline around 2024. Reports that initially said he had been fired have subsequently been corrected to indicate that he resigned.

Sources also said that al Hamami at one point posted a video showing El Al aircraft at an airport in Dubai. The video reportedly concluded with an image of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Al Qaeda leader who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2022.

After leaving Oman Air, al Hamami moved to Dubai and was hired by Flydubai. Sources familiar with the investigation said Flydubai did not contact the Omani government to vet his background before employing him.

Questions about his background have now spread well beyond Oman and the UAE. Australian counterterrorism authorities are investigating al Hamami’s connections to Australia, where he reportedly studied at RMIT University in Melbourne approximately a decade ago. Australian federal and state police, along with intelligence officials, are participating in that investigation.

Reports have alleged that while living in Australia, al Hamami visited radical mosques and accessed extremist material online. Investigators are examining whether his radicalization began years before he joined Flydubai and whether he developed any connections during his time abroad.

Sources describe al Hamami as an Omani citizen who was born outside Oman and spent much of his life in other countries. His father is reportedly Omani and his mother Syrian. The Omani government has not publicly confirmed his citizenship.

Investigators have also raised the possibility that al Hamami holds dual citizenship. That question has become particularly significant because Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, raising questions about how an Omani citizen was cleared to serve as a crew member on repeated flights to Tel Aviv.

The incident has triggered a much broader investigation inside Israel into how foreign flight crews are vetted. Netanyahu on Sunday ordered a comprehensive review of security procedures governing foreign civilian flights arriving in Israel after revelations that Israeli authorities had received a list of the Flydubai flight’s crew members, reportedly including al Hamami’s name and nationality, before the aircraft departed Dubai.

The revelation has intensified questions over why al Hamami was not flagged despite his Omani nationality and his reported history of extremist activity. Israeli government agencies have traded claims over which body bore responsibility for examining foreign crews and whether the relevant intelligence was available to those responsible for aviation security.

For now, however, Israeli investigators reportedly believe the attack was most likely carried out by al Hamami on his own. That assessment has not closed the investigation into possible outside ties, and authorities in Israel, the UAE and other countries continue examining his communications, movements, employment history and years of alleged radical activity to determine whether anyone helped him prepare for the attempted attack.

{Matzav.com}