Australia investigating Flydubai co-pilot’s links to country

Australian authorities are probing the potential links between the country and a Flydubai co-pilot accused of assaulting his captain with a crash axe during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The unnamed co-pilot, identified by media outlets as Hamam al-Hammami, is alleged to have carried out the attack two and a half hours into the journey on September 30, 2022.

Passengers managed to overpower him, enabling the plane's pilot, Capt Smit Machchhar, to safely land the aircraft in Saudi Arabia. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed an ongoing investigation into the co-pilot's connections to Australia, which involves state police and the country's security agency. Counter-terrorism officials will examine whether the man was radicalised in Australia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has identified the co-pilot as an Omani national, while the UAE prosecutor general stated that the incident was a possible terrorist act. The co-pilot, who studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017, had his student visa cancelled in 2019. He was born in Oman and is currently in stable condition following the incident, while the pilot is undergoing treatment in Abu Dhabi.