Hamam al-Hammami, the man accused of attacking a Flydubai captain, reportedly defended slapping a woman in posts from an X account believed to be his, according to the Telegraph. The posts were published between November 2021 and August 2022, while he was studying remotely at a UK university.
The 29-year-old Omani national was accused of attacking Captain Smit Machchhar on Wednesday and of attempting to take control of the aircraft. The New York Post account states that the flight, with 182 people on board, nearly crashed before passengers intervened and subdued him.
Accused Flydubai Attacker's Reported Defence of Slapping Women
The Telegraph reported that it examined more than 2,000 posts from an X account it believes belongs to al‑Hammami. According to its reporting, the alleged online activity took place during his remote studies in aviation management at Buckinghamshire New University, before the alleged attack on the captain.
One reported reply to a discussion about men attacking women compared a slap with Russia's actions against Ukraine. The account allegedly posted, 'He gave her a pre-emptive slap so she would redefine her boundaries, just as Russia slapped Ukraine to adjust its borders.'
The comparison formed part of an exchange that also included other comments advocating violence, according to a report. During the same discussion, the account reportedly posted that a man should 'stomp on her head' if a woman 'so much as breathed' around him.
In a separate exchange with a woman, the account allegedly linked to al‑Hammami wrote, 'I'd stomp on your head, wipe the floor with you, make you an example to others, and then divorce you,' the Telegraph reported.
The account's ownership remains qualified in the reporting. It is described as believed to be al-Hammami's, and the supplied material does not include the underlying collection of posts or explain how the account was attributed to him.
Hostile Posts Attributed to the Accused Flydubai Attacker
Other posts reportedly called for severe Islamic punishments against Jews and homosexuals, according to the report. Unlike the exchanges concerning violence against women, those posts are described without their wording being reproduced.
An Israeli official also discussed al-Hammami's social media activity in remarks to the Times of Israel on Thursday.
'His social media accounts [say] clearly that he has been radicalized into jihadist ideology. He talks about killing Jews,' the official told the publication.
That assessment belongs to the official. The supplied material does not establish a motive for the alleged cockpit attack or independently substantiate the official's characterisation of al-Hammami's ideology. IBTimes UK cannot independently verify the account's ownership or the reported posts from the material provided.
The supplied material describes al-Hammami as studying to be a pilot, while the Telegraph identifies his university course as aviation management. The supplied material includes no response from Buckinghamshire New University or from al-Hammami concerning the alleged posts.
Allegations Over the Flydubai Cockpit Attack
It was reported that al-Hammami allegedly stabbed Machchhar with a crash axe inside the cockpit and allegedly attempted to take control of the plane. The supplied material describes Wednesday's incident as a 'terrorist attack,' but does not identify who applied that description.
The account states that his actions nearly caused the aircraft to crash. The supplied material does not specify the flight's location, provide an account from police or reproduce an official statement from Flydubai.
Passengers rushed in and subdued al-Hammami, which places 182 people aboard the aircraft.
