Key facts
- Australian security agencies are investigating a flydubai co-pilot's past in the country.
- The co-pilot allegedly attempted to hijack a flight to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
- The aircraft plunged over 16,000 feet during the incident.
- Passengers and crew intervened to stop the co-pilot's actions.
- The co-pilot, Hammam al-Hammami, studied in Australia from 2015 to 2017.
- The UAE prosecutor general said a crash axe was used and the pilot was stabbed.
Australian security agencies are investigating the background of a flydubai co-pilot after he allegedly attempted to hijack an Israel-bound flight. The co-pilot, identified as Omani national Hammam al-Hammami, reportedly spent approximately two years in Australia as a student between 2015 and 2017.
Disaster was narrowly averted on Wednesday when passengers and crew intervened to stop the co-pilot's attempt to take control of the flydubai flight to Tel Aviv. The aircraft, carrying 182 people, plunged 16,625 feet in just over 30 seconds. The United Arab Emirates’ prosecutor general stated the co-pilot used a crash axe in the attempted “terrorist attack,” and that the pilot was stabbed mid-air.
A source familiar with the case said al-Hammami was granted an Australian student visa in 2014 and began a university course in 2015. He left Australia in 2017, and his visa was canceled in 2019 after authorities confirmed he was no longer enrolled. The Australian federal police confirmed on Sunday that multiple agencies, including the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio), are probing the man’s connections to the country.
US media outlets reported that a now-deleted LinkedIn profile indicated al-Hammami had studied engineering at an Australian university, though Guardian Australia has not verified this. Buckinghamshire New University in the UK also stated that a student with the same name completed a distance-learning course in aviation management but did not undertake pilot training there.
Flydubai has suspended its flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv until further notice. The co-pilot and the flight’s Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, were taken to the UAE, which is leading the investigation with participation from countries including Israel. The Wall Street Journal reported that Oman had barred the co-pilot from flying due to concerns over extremist views, after which he was moved to an administrative role at Oman Air before being hired by flydubai.