Who is Hamam al-Hammami, the suspected co-pilot accused of attempting to hijack a Flydubai flight and who violated a ban?

The co-pilot suspected of stabbing the captain of an Israel-bound FlyDubai flight before passengers and others stopped the attack is an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami , three people with knowledge of the situation, including a Gulf and a Western diplomat, said.

All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The Gulf diplomat said investigations are underway to establish whether he acted as a “lone wolf or has any connection with any extremist groups.”

The United Arab Emirates said the co-pilot attacked the captain with the cockpit’s crash axe and tried to take control of the plane in a “terrorist attack.”

The co-pilot, who officials said nearly crashed the sharply plummeting flight with 182 people aboard, was barred from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted extremist views , a separate person familiar with the matter said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.

The co-pilot was subsequently hired by the United Arab Emirates-based airline , the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. It was not immediately clear to what extent he was vetted when he was hired in the Emirates. Oman’s move to bar the co-pilot from flying was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Wounded captain says he had to get back up to save passengers

The Indian airline captain who helped thwart the apparent attempt to down a flight to Tel Aviv told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he knew he had to get back on his feet to save everyone on board, after he was stabbed by his co-pilot and the aircraft carrying 182 people plunged into a steep descent.

“I had so many wounds. I had fallen down,” Capt. Smit Machchhar said from a hospital in Abu Dhabi. “I was fighting for my life. At one point I realized that if I didn’t get up … then passengers would lose their lives.”

Machchhar was seriously injured in Wednesday’s attack but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the attacker as the Boeing 737 descended sharply , witnesses and Israeli authorities said.