Photos show events marking 2 years since Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah

BEIRUT (AP) — Mourners and supporters gathered in Beirut and Baghdad over the weekend to mark the second anniversary of the killing of longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

At a commemoration in Baghdad, participants carried portraits of Nasrallah, waved Iraqi and Iranian flags and raised burning torches. In Beirut, thousands gathered near his mausoleum in the southern suburbs, where some mourned and others chanted and raised their fists. In Tehran, a Hezbollah flag and a large billboard bearing Nasrallah’s image were displayed.

Nasrallah led the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group for more than three decades. He was killed on Sept. 27, 2024, in a massive Israeli airstrike that leveled an entire block in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where he was meeting senior Hezbollah commanders and an Iranian general.

His death dealt a major blow to Hezbollah, but he remains a revered figure among the group’s supporters and allies across the region.

People buy stickers bearing portraits of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah from a street vendor near his shrine in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, a day before the second anniversary of his death in an Israeli airstrike on Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Palestinian supporters of Hezbollah hold portraits of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah near his shrine in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, a day before the second anniversary of Nasrallah's death in an Israeli airstrike on Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A woman holds a portrait of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a portrait of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is displayed in a stroller during a gathering marking the second anniversary of the killings of Nasrallah and senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Hezbollah fighters stand guard on a rooftop near the shrine of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, a day before the second anniversary of Nasrallah's death in an Israeli airstrike on Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Hezbollah supporters gather at the site where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Sept. 27, 2024, a day before the second anniversary of his death, in the southern Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A man draped in an Iranian flag chants as others wave Iraqi flags during a gathering marking the second anniversary of the killings of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

A Hezbollah supporter reacts at the site where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Sept. 27, 2024, a day before the second anniversary of his death, in the southern Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Hezbollah supporters gather at the site where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Sept. 27, 2024, a day before the second anniversary of his death, in the southern Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A bird flies over a flag for Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group installed on a building affiliated with Tehran municipality marking the second anniversary of the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Motorcyclists pass a billboard showing portraits of the late commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard expeditionary Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, right, the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center right, late leaders of Lebanon's Hezbollah group Hassan Nasrallah, center left, and Hashem Safieddine, left, marking the second anniversary of the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Hezbollah supporters gather to mark the second anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes, at Nasrallah's shrine in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Hezbollah supporters gather to mark the second anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes, at Nasrallah's shrine in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Hezbollah supporters gather to mark the second anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes, at Nasrallah's shrine in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Mohammed Mahdi Nasrallah, the son of slaine Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, attends a ceremony marking the second anniversary of the assassination of his father, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes, at Nasrallah's shrine in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People visit the shrine of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, a day before the second anniversary of his death in an Israeli airstrike on Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Shiite clerics hold Iranian flags and portraits of Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, center, during a gathering marking the second anniversary of the killings of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

A street vendor sells stickers bearing portraits of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah near his shrine in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, a day before the second anniversary of his death in an Israeli airstrike on Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Hezbollah supporters chant slogans during a ceremony marking the second anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes, at Nasrallah's shrine in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

CAIRO (AP) — The co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of an Israel-bound flight with an axe and trying to seize the controls was an Omani national who had been barred from flying on his country’s airline because of concerns about extremist views, officials said Saturday.

The co-pilot has been identified as Hamam al-Hammami, according to three people with knowledge of the situation, including a Gulf and a Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The United Arab Emirates, which is leading the investigation, said the co-pilot attacked with the cockpit’s crash axe and tried to take control of the plummeting plane in a “terrorist attack" Wednesday. His actions nearly crashed the flight with 182 people on board before passengers and others rushed in and subdued him.

The new details raised questions about how thoroughly FlyDubai vets potential employees, and how the co-pilot's presence on a flight filled with Israeli passengers got past Israel's strict security protocols.

Israel has said it has agreements with foreign carriers to keep pilots of nations without diplomatic ties from flying there. Israel and Oman don’t have formal diplomatic relations. The UAE government has earned a reputation for effective measures against extremist activities but has bristled in the past over criticism of security lapses.

The incident occurred at a sensitive time for Israel, a week before the anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war in Gaza. It also came weeks before a highly contentious election in which security, and Oct. 7 security failures, have been central issues.

Separately, a regional official and a person familiar with the matter said the co-pilot had been barred from flying by Oman over concerns that he had adopted extremist views. The official said he was moved to an administrative job at Oman Air. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. They gave no details about the alleged extremist views.

The co-pilot was later hired by UAE-based airline FlyDubai, the person said. It wasn't immediately clear to what extent the co-pilot was vetted. The Gulf diplomat said he had undergone standard security checks before being hired, but it appears that the checks focused on whether he had been convicted of criminal charges and didn’t go deeper into examining his background for potential signs of radicalization.

The regional official also said security agencies from four regional countries were working to establish the co-pilot’s motives, aided by the United States and other Western governments. The Gulf diplomat said investigations were trying to establish whether the co-pilot acted alone or "has any connection with any extremist groups.”

The regional official said the co-pilot was born in the UAE and his mother is Syrian. He obtained Omani nationality from his father, also an Omani national. The regional official also said the co-pilot had traveled to Syria, with no details.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said the co-pilot had undergone “Islamist radicalization,” but provided no evidence. There was no immediate comment Saturday from Israel’s government.

A FlyDubai spokesperson said in an email that the airline could not comment beyond its official statements and acknowledged “there are many questions at this stage.” There was no immediate comment from Oman Air, and Oman’s government has said nothing publicly in response to repeated questions since the incident.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Royal Air Maroc, Morocco's national carrier, said the co-pilot "completed a three-month theoretical training period with the airline in 2025, as part of the pre-employment process. At the end of this training period, his application was not selected for employment.” There were no details.

Keith Coles, a spokesperson for Buckinghamshire New University in England, told the AP that al-Hammami previously completed a distance-learning course in aviation management there but “did not undertake any pilot training.” There were no details on the timing.

Little else was immediately known about the co-pilot’s background. His Instagram account was active until the day of the flight and then deleted.

Airlines are generally required to carry crash axes in the cockpit that could be used in an emergency to break open a window to escape or break open a panel to access a fire.

The captain, who was badly wounded, has said he used his remaining energy while being attacked to unlock the cockpit door, allowing people who had noticed alarming sounds to come in, tackle the co-pilot and stabilize the flight while passengers screamed.

The plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a descent so extreme that part of the rudder was torn away, and aviation experts have marveled that it didn't crash. FlyDubai has said crew traveling on the plane helped to stabilize it and land. They haven't been publicly identified.

Both the captain and co-pilot were later taken to the UAE. The passengers, most of them Israeli, flew home later Wednesday on a separate plane, to cheers.

Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Anna from Jerusalem. AP Washington bureau chief Anna Johnson in Washington, aviation writer Josh Funk and reporter Sam Metz in Jerusalem contributed.

Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayoun, with blood stains on his shirt, who was aboard a Flydubai aircraft that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, is welcomed at the arrivals gate at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Tomer Appelbaum)

Passengers who experienced an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, during a flight on FlyDubai plane, arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

This screengrab from Narendra Modi YouTube Channel shows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking with FlyDubai pilot Capt. Smit Machchhar on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (Narendra Modi YouTube Channel via AP )

An FlyDubai plane carrying Israeli passengers who had earlier been aboard another FlyDubai aircraft that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia approaches Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)