Australia investigating Flydubai co-pilot's links to country
Australian investigators are probing the background of a Flydubai co‑pilot who tried to seize control of a Dubai‑to‑Tel Aviv flight on 30 September, using a crash axe to attack the captain. The incident forced the aircraft to plunge 17,000 ft before passengers overpowered the assailant and two reserve pilots managed an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The man, identified in multiple reports as Hamam al‑Hammami, is an Omani national; the United Arab Emirates’ prosecutor general labelled the act a “terrorist act” and said the co‑pilot was arrested by Saudi authorities after the landing. The Australian Federal Police confirmed a joint investigation with state police and the national security agency into “the man’s links to Australia,” promising an update when appropriate.
The probe centers on the co‑pilot’s ties to Australia, where he entered on a student visa in 2014 and studied until 2017 before leaving the country. His visa was cancelled in 2019 after he ceased enrollment in a course, rendering him ineligible to remain. Counter‑terrorism officials will assess whether he was radicalised during his Australian stay, a question amplified by his earlier removal from flight training at Oman Air over concerns about extremist views. After leaving Australia, he pursued a distance‑learning aviation management degree from Buckinghamshire New University in the United Kingdom, graduating in 2023, though he did not receive pilot training there. The UAE’s attorney general, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said investigations are ongoing to determine the motives and any external connections behind the attack.
The aftermath has drawn international attention, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirming the co‑pilot’s Omani nationality and noting his detention by Saudi authorities. Capt Smit Machchhar, the injured pilot who survived the plunge, was hospitalized in Abu Dhabi and remains in stable condition. The incident, which involved more than 170 passengers, has raised broader concerns about airline security and the vetting of crew members, especially those with prior links to extremist ideologies. Australian officials’ inquiry may set precedents for how nations scrutinise foreign‑trained aviation personnel, while the UAE continues its own investigation into the circumstances and potential terrorist motivations behind the cockpit assault.
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