Al Qaeda figures and more: Two posts surfaced on Omani co-pilot's profile after flydubai incident, says report

The posts featured cockpit footage and images of figures associated with al Qaeda. The second post featured an AI image depicting Islam’s three holiest sites.

Amid uncertainty over the identity and motive of the attacker involved in the flydubai flight incident, a report claimed that two posts were made on the Omani pilot's LinkedIn profile hours after the alleged crash attempt.

Yaniv Hayun, one of the men who helped incapacitate the attacker on the FlyDubai aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates. (REUTERS)

The profile belonged to Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, CNN reported, citing sources.

Both posts were published within a short span on the same day, around nine hours after the incident. According to the CNN report, it remains unclear who published them or whether they had been scheduled in advance. However, the LinkedIn profile has since been deleted.

Deep Dive

What were the contents of the LinkedIn posts made by the flydubai co-pilot after the incident?

Why was the flydubai co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, previously barred from flying in Oman?

How did the flydubai cockpit incident unfold during the flight to Tel Aviv?

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The posts featured cockpit footage, references to Israeli airlines and images of figures associated with al Qaeda. The second post, meanwhile, featured an AI-generated image depicting Islam’s three holiest sites.

First post featured cockpit footage, al Qaeda figures

The first LinkedIn post contained a series of clips filmed inside the cockpit of a Boeing 737 Max aircraft, the CNN report said. Notably, the aircraft that was diverted to Saudi Arabia during Wednesday’s incident was a flydubai 737 Max 8.

One of the clips, which the US news outlet said it geolocated to Dubai International Airport, showed the person filming zooming in on an aircraft belonging to Israeli airline El Al.

The cockpit screen visible in the video displayed flight number OMA624 and the date October 11, 2023. The flight number corresponds to a route that typically operates between Dubai and Muscat, while the date falls within the period when al-Hammami worked for Oman Air.

The video also showed more aircraft belonging to El Al, as well as one operated by another Israeli airline, Arkia.

The video however ended with photographs of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who led al Qaeda after the death of Osama Bin Laden, and Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, who was responsible for a 2009 suicide bombing that killed nine people, including seven American CIA officers and contractors. Al-Balawi was loyal to al Qaeda, the CNN report added.

Second post showed Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem

The second LinkedIn post reportedly featured an AI-generated image depicting Islam’s three holiest sites in Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, connected by a continuous glowing trail.

A poem recited in the background spoke of rejecting humiliation, not fearing death and defending one’s dignity, CNN report added.

What the LinkedIn profile said

The profile said al-Hammami had worked at Oman Air for seven years before leaving in February 2025. It then listed him as joining Royal Air Maroc in June 2025 and leaving in January 2026.

The page did not mention Flydubai. However, one source confirmed to CNN that the profile belonged to the pilot involved in Wednesday’s incident.

The same two videos were allegedly posted around the same time on an Instagram account carrying the same name and photographs. That account has since been deleted as well.