Flydubai attack suspect trained with Royal Air Maroc but was not hired

The Omani co-pilot suspected of trying to crash a Flydubai Boeing 737 on its way from Dubai to Tel Aviv completed a training course with Morocco's national carrier, Royal Air Maroc (RAM), before being turned down for a job there, the airline said Saturday.

In a statement, RAM said Hammam al-Hammami completed a three-month theoretical training period in 2025 as part of its pre-employment process. 

"At the end of this training period, his application was not selected for employment," the airline said, without explaining why. 

It did not say whether any concerns were raised about him at the time. RAM's statement therefore does not support reports that he ever worked for the airline.

Reports from several international media, including CNN, ABC and the Wall Street Journal, describe a chaotic professional path. Al-Hammami reportedly flew for Oman Air, then was barred from flying by Omani authorities who suspected he had been influenced by radical Islamist groups. 

He then applied unsuccessfully to Emirates. Flydubai hired him about nine months before the incident.

Hiring questions for Flydubai

How he ended up in the cockpit of a flight to Israel is now the central question for investigators in the UAE and Israel. 

They are reviewing his employment history and the background checks Flydubai carried out. It is not yet clear how closely he was vetted, or whether the concerns raised in Oman ever reached other airlines.

The UAE prosecutor general has called the incident an attempted "terrorist" attack, saying the co-pilot attacked the captain with a crash axe and tried to take control of the plane. 

Authorities in Muscat have yet to provide more information about the case.