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Australia expands the probe

The review into the Flydubai co-pilot has focused on the suspect’s ties to Australia. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said the investigation is being carried out together with state police and the country’s security agency. Officials said further information will be shared in due course.

Australian authorities have not formally disclosed the suspect’s identity. However, several international media outlets, including Reuters, CNN and The New York Times, identified the co-pilot as Hamam al-Hammami. A separate criminal investigation is also under way in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

What happened in the cockpit on the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight?

On September 30, an incident took place about two and a half hours into a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying more than 170 passengers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot was a citizen of Oman.

According to the UAE Public Prosecution, the co-pilot attacked the captain with an emergency axe, after which the aircraft lost about 17,000 feet in altitude. Passengers were able to enter the cockpit after injured captain Smit Machchhar opened the door from the inside, and the attacker was restrained. The plane was safely landed in Saudi Arabia by two relief pilots.

According to Netanyahu, the suspect was detained after the emergency landing and is being questioned by Saudi authorities. The Indian captain, who was taken to hospital, was later transferred to Abu Dhabi and is said to be in stable condition. UAE Public Prosecutor Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the circumstances, possible motives and links are being investigated, and initial findings indicate it was an attempted terror attack.

Training and visa history under scrutiny

According to sources speaking to Australian media, the suspect was granted a student visa in 2014. The same sources said he studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017 before leaving the country.

  • According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC, the student visa was canceled in 2019 because he was not enrolled in a course.
  • Counterterrorism officials will also examine whether the suspect became radicalized in Australia.
  • U.S. media reported that the suspect had previously been removed from flight training while working for Oman Air because of concerns about extremist views.

Another detail concerns a link to the United Kingdom. Buckinghamshire New University said the individual joined a distance-learning program in 2020 and received a diploma in aviation management in 2023. The university also said he did not receive pilot training at the school.

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