Israeli investigators now view the FlyDubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed his captain and tried to bring down a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight as a likely lone wolf, people familiar with the early probe told CBS News, even as officials still chase every lead on motive and possible outside ties.
The midair crisis unfolded Wednesday as the jet approached Israel. The co-pilot allegedly stabbed the flight captain and tried to crash the aircraft. The captain fought him off long enough to unlock the cockpit door. A group of Israeli passengers and FlyDubai staff then overpowered the co-pilot. Two off-duty pilots took control and guided the plane to an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The legal and security stakes are immediate. A commercial cockpit nearly became a weapon over a packed route into Israel. Saudi authorities questioned the co-pilot first. He is now in a second round of interrogation in the United Arab Emirates, where Israeli representatives have joined the inquiry. No public charges have been detailed.
CBS News reported that multiple sources on Friday identified the co-pilot as Hamam al Hamami and described his background. People familiar with Israel’s early investigation said the facts point to a likely lone-wolf actor, while stressing that all avenues remain open.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke publicly within hours of the landing. He rejected a classic hijacking label and framed the episode as something closer to a suicide bid.
Netanyahu told interviewers:
"I don't think it was a hijacking," "I think it looks like a suicide attempt."
He later told Fox News that Israel had gathered “personal information” showing the co-pilot “underwent Islamist radical indoctrination.” Netanyahu called the attacker “suicidal” and said that after the man was subdued he shouted, “Kill me, kill me!”
On Wednesday, Netanyahu also said the co-pilot’s motives were still unknown. That gap remains a central investigative question.
President Trump addressed the case on Thursday and was asked about a possible Iran link. He said the United States is actively working the intelligence and described foreign partners as cooperative.
Trump said:
"We're working on it right now," "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."
Israeli sources have not publicly confirmed an Iran connection. Investigators will need to determine whether any foreign direction, facilitation, or inspiration existed, or whether the attack was purely individual.
Sources told CBS News the co-pilot is Hamam al Hamami, described as an Omani citizen who was not born in Oman. His mother is Syrian and his father is Omani. Sources also raised the possibility of dual citizenship. The Omani government has not publicly confirmed his nationality.
His career path drew sharp scrutiny after the landing. He previously worked a short time at Oman Air, entered new pilot training, then moved to an office job. Omani government surveillance had found that he visited radical websites. He resigned from the desk role around 2024, moved to Dubai, and was hired by FlyDubai. Sources said FlyDubai did not vet him with the Omani government.
Sources further said he posted a video of El Al planes in Dubai that ended with a photo of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al Qaeda leader killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2022. No platform, date, or full post text has been released publicly in the material provided.
The sequence on board, as described in the reporting, left little margin for error. The co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to crash the plane while it was approaching Israel. The captain held him off long enough to unlock the door. Israeli passengers and FlyDubai staff rushed in and overpowered the attacker. Two off-duty pilots then flew the jet to safety in Tabuk.
Authorities have not publicly detailed the captain’s injuries or said whether anyone else was hurt. No passenger or crew counts have been released in the available material. No deaths were reported.
After the landing, Saudi authorities conducted the first questioning. The co-pilot was then moved to the UAE for further interrogation. Israel sent representatives to the UAE to take part. That cross-border posture shows how quickly the case moved from an in-flight emergency into a multi-state security investigation.
Netanyahu’s public comments set a clear tension. He has described radical indoctrination and a suicidal outburst, yet he also said motives remain unknown. Israeli sources lean toward a lone-wolf reading, while Trump has said early information he is hearing points toward an Iran link. Those threads are not yet reconciled in any public finding.
Investigators will need to determine several core facts. They must pin down whether the stabbing and crash attempt were premeditated. They must test the strength of the radicalization claims drawn from “personal information.” They must examine the reported video and website history. They must also assess how the pilot cleared hiring at FlyDubai after earlier Omani surveillance concerns.
No formal charges, charging documents, or courtroom posture have been made public. The co-pilot remains under interrogation. Until prosecutors or courts speak, the episode stays in the realm of allegation, witness accounts, and official statements.
The hiring gap sits at the center of the institutional story. Sources said Oman Air moved al Hamami off flying status after surveillance flagged radical website visits, and that he later left around 2024. FlyDubai then hired him without Omani vetting, according to those sources. He was in the right-hand seat on a flight into Tel Aviv when the alleged attack began.
Airlines and governments will face hard questions about information sharing on aircrew with prior extremism flags. Passengers on routes into Israel already live with elevated threat awareness. A co-pilot accused of turning the controls into a weapon raises the cost of any screening miss.
Saudi, Emirati, and Israeli participation also matters for chain-of-custody and evidence quality. Statements taken in Tabuk and again in the UAE, plus Israeli access to personal material, will shape whatever case follows. Authorities have not said what forensic work is underway on the cockpit, weapons used in the alleged stabbing, or digital devices.
Netanyahu’s “suicide attempt” language downplays classic hijacking for ransom or diversion and instead stresses self-destructive ideology. The reported shout of “Kill me, kill me!” feeds that frame. At the same time, Trump’s comments keep state-linked terrorism on the table. Lone-wolf findings can still leave inspiration, online radicalization, or weak facilitation unresolved.
CBS News placed the identification of al Hamami and the lone-wolf assessment with sources on Friday, after Netanyahu’s Wednesday and Thursday remarks and Trump’s Thursday comments. The timeline shows officials speaking while the second interrogation was still underway.
Absolute dates, time zones, full passenger statements, and the precise medical condition of the captain have not been released publicly. The Omani government has not issued a public confirmation of identity or nationality in the material at hand. Those gaps leave room for later correction as the probe matures.
For now, the verified spine is stark. A FlyDubai co-pilot allegedly tried to crash a passenger jet bound for Tel Aviv. Crew and Israeli passengers stopped him. The plane landed in Saudi Arabia. The suspect is under interrogation in the UAE with Israeli involvement. Israeli sources call him a likely lone wolf. Political leaders are already arguing over radicalization, suicide, and Iran.
Cockpit doors, crew vetting, and allied intelligence sharing exist for one reason: so a single radicalized pilot never gets a second chance to turn a full airliner into a missile. When that safeguard is tested in real time, the public is entitled to facts, charges, and accountability without spin.
