Archive · 8 Oct 2026
Unanswered Motives Risk Turning Lone-Wolf Killers Into Martyrs
A FlyDubai pilot reportedly tried to make his plane crash, but the people investigating have not explained why.
The article says the plane’s crew and passengers stopped the disaster.
It compares this case with older attacks and a plane crash where people also argued about what the person responsible was thinking.
Sometimes people explain violent acts in very different ways when the facts are missing.
The author says that can lead some people to call a killer a hero, even when others see a criminal.
The article also discusses how personal problems and political anger can shape how people understand violence.
It says that finding out what really happened matters.
The author argues that leaders should also work to reduce the conditions that can help violence grow.
The article says FlyDubai First Officer Hammam al-Hammami came within seconds of crashing flight FZ1073, which was bound for Tel Aviv and carrying 172 people.
Investigators have not publicly explained al-Hammami’s motive; reports say he was removed from Oman Air trainee duties in 2024 after being found with jihadist literature.
The author compares the unresolved case with the 1999 EgyptAir 990 crash, whose first officer repeatedly said, “I rely on God” as the aircraft descended.
The article examines how personal distress, social conditions and political causes have been interpreted in the cases of Howard Unruh, Eric Harris and Nidal Hasan.
The author warns that unresolved facts can fuel competing conspiracy theories and portrayals of perpetrators as martyrs, and argues that preventing violence requires addressing its causes.
- Who
- FlyDubai First Officer Hammam al-Hammami, the flight crew and passengers, and investigators.
- What
- Al-Hammami reportedly attempted to crash flight FZ1073; investigators have not publicly established his motive.
- When
- The article does not give a date for the flight incident; it says al-Hammami was removed from Oman Air trainee duties in 2024.
- Where
- Flight FZ1073 was bound for Tel Aviv; the article does not specify where the attempted crash occurred.
- Why
- Unknown. The article mentions speculation that al-Hammami acted over the Gaza war but says investigators have not stated a motive.
Interpretations of the incident
Alternative views and cautions
Al-Hammami’s possible motive
Interpretations of the incident
Some speculation cited in the article links the attempted attack to anger over the war in Gaza.
Alternative views and cautions
Investigators have not publicly stated a motive, so the article cautions against treating that speculation as fact.
How unresolved cases are explained
Interpretations of the incident
Some groups have portrayed past perpetrators, including EgyptAir first officer Gameel el-Batouti, as martyrs or victims of political forces.
Alternative views and cautions
Other interpretations have called the EgyptAir crash religious terrorism; the article argues that competing claims can obscure facts that were never established.
- Flight
- FlyDubai flight FZ1073, bound for Tel Aviv
- People aboard
- 172, according to the article
- Pilot
- First Officer Hammam al-Hammami
- Motive
- Not publicly established by investigators
- Reported background
- The article says al-Hammami was removed from Oman Air trainee pilot duties in 2024 after being found with jihadist literature.
- Historical comparison
- The article discusses the 1999 EgyptAir 990 crash and first officer Gameel el-Batouti.
- Author
- Praveen Swami, a contributing editor at ThePrint