MELBOURNE: Australian counterterrorism authorities are examining the background and Australian connections of a Flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking the captain and trying to take control of a passenger plane during a flight from Dubai to Israel.
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, made up of the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, is investigating the man’s links to Australia, an Australian Federal Police spokesperson said.
Two people familiar with the investigation said the co-pilot had studied at a university in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria. Another report identified the institution as RMIT University, where the man reportedly studied about a decade ago.
RMIT confirmed that the co-pilot had been enrolled at the university but did not complete an engineering qualification. The university did not identify him or provide details about the period of his enrollment.
The investigation comes after the co-pilot of Flydubai Flight FZ1073 allegedly attacked the captain with an emergency crash axe while the aircraft was in flight. The United Arab Emirates prosecutor general described the incident as a terrorist attack.
The aircraft, carrying more than 170 passengers and crew members, plunged about 16,000 feet in roughly 30 seconds before the crew regained control.
An aviation instructor who recreated the incident using a flight simulator told Reuters that passengers would have experienced a descent similar to a “vertical roller coaster.”
The co-pilot is identified as Hamam Al-Hammami, an Omani national. Israeli officials have confirmed that the suspect is from Oman but have not publicly released his name.
UAE authorities and Flydubai also have not publicly identified the man. Al-Hammami remains in UAE custody after Saudi authorities detained him following the emergency landing in northwestern Saudi Arabia. He was later transferred to the UAE.
Reuters was unable to independently contact Al-Hammami for comment. UAE authorities have not announced formal charges against him, and it remains unclear whether he has legal representation. Oman has not publicly commented on the case.
The situation was brought under control after passengers and crew members restrained the co-pilot, according to officials. A reserve Flydubai pilot who was traveling on the flight took control of the aircraft and landed safely at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
The Australian investigation is also examining the co-pilot’s activities while he was in the country. The Financial Times reported, citing two people familiar with the investigation, that Al-Hammami had allegedly visited extremist websites while living in Australia.
The newspaper also reported that Australian intelligence agencies had previously maintained a file on him. Reuters said it could not immediately verify those claims. The Australian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment made outside normal business hours.
The case has raised additional questions because Israel does not have formal diplomatic relations with Oman. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel were not allowed to operate flights to the country.
It remains unclear how the Omani co-pilot was assigned to the Flydubai flight bound for Israel. Netanyahu on Sunday directed Israel’s National Security Council to appoint an examiner to conduct a comprehensive review of security measures involving foreign civilian aviation operating flights to Israel.
