The United Arab Emirates said for the first time on Saturday that the co-pilot who attacked the captain of a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv had tried to carry out a “terrorist operation,” as officials worked to uncover the full scope of his motives.

The Emirates did not name the co-pilot, but two people briefed on the investigation and an Arab official identified him as an Omani man named Hamam al-Hammami. The two people familiar with the investigation said Mr. al-Hammami had embraced extreme Islamist views, prompting Omani authorities to scrutinize him.

More than 170 passengers, mostly Israelis, were on the FlyDubai Flight 1073 on Wednesday when Mr. al-Hammami began attacking the pilot, Capt. Smit Machchhar, and then tried to crash the airliner. Mr. Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, and passengers intervened, averting a catastrophe.

Concerns about the co-pilot’s radicalization raise questions about what checks had been carried out before allowing him to fly. It is unclear whether the Omanis had shared their concerns with security officials in Israel or the Emirates, or with the airline.

Here is what to know about the pilots.

The Co-Pilot: Hamam al-Hammami

The two people briefed on the investigation, along with the Arab official, identified the co-pilot who pressed the attack as Mr. al-Hammami, the flight’s first officer. A LinkedIn profile bearing Mr. al-Hammami’s name said he lived in Muscat, Oman’s capital, and had worked at Oman Air for seven years, leaving in 2025.

The investigation so far indicated that he had acted alone and had no known ties with Iran, which has long sought to target Israelis abroad, the Arab official and two U.S. officials said.