Australia Opens Counterterrorism Probe Into Flydubai Co-Pilot's Links
Australia’s federal police confirmed on Sunday that a joint counterterrorism team is investigating the “links to Australia” of the flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking his captain with an emergency crash axe on a Tel Aviv-bound flight, a major widening of the Flydubai co-pilot probe beyond the Gulf.
The team said it was examining the man’s background in the country. “An update will be provided at an appropriate time,” an AFP spokesperson said.
Why Australia opened the Flydubai co-pilot probe
Two sources briefed on the investigation said the co-pilot studied at a university in Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria. Local media reports named RMIT University, and a third source said he studied there around a decade ago. RMIT declined to comment.
The Financial Times reported that he had allegedly visited radical mosques and extremist websites while in Australia, citing two people familiar with the investigation, and that Australian intelligence held a file on him. Reuters said it could not independently verify the report.
Who the co-pilot is reported to be
Two sources with knowledge of the investigation identified him to Reuters as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national. The UAE has not confirmed his identity, Oman has not commented, and no formal charges have been announced. Flydubai says a full investigation is under way.
The September 30 attack on flight FZ1073
On September 30, flydubai flight FZ1073 left Dubai for Tel Aviv with more than 170 people on board, most of them Israeli nationals. About two hours in, the co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with an emergency crash axe in the cockpit. The UAE prosecutor general has called the incident a “terrorist attack”.
The jet plunged about 16,000 feet in roughly 30 seconds and squawked 7500, the code for unlawful interference. Passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot after the bloodied captain opened the cockpit door, and a reserve flydubai pilot on board landed the jet at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities detained the co-pilot, who was later transferred to the UAE.
The bloodied captain, an Indian national, was praised by the Israeli and Indian prime ministers for fighting back despite serious injuries. Passenger Yaniv Hayoun, a plumber by trade, was credited by Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump with leading the passengers who pulled the attacker away from the controls and levelled the plane.
What happens next
The case is now proceeding on two fronts. Netanyahu said on Sunday the co-pilot had undergone “radical Islamist indoctrination” and was “clearly suicidal”, though he did not say when or where, and instructed Israel’s National Security Council to appoint an examiner to review security across foreign civil aviation to Israel.
Netanyahu also noted that Israel has no diplomatic relations with Oman and that pilots from such countries were not permitted to operate flights to Israel, raising questions about how the co-pilot came to be assigned to the Tel Aviv route. Flydubai has paused flights to and from Israel while the investigation continues. Direct commercial flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv only began in 2020 under the Abraham Accords.
Related: UAE Launches Probe Into Diverted Flydubai Flight After Cockpit Stabbing
Frequently asked questions
What is the Flydubai co-pilot probe in Australia about?
Australia’s Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, made up of the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO, is investigating the co-pilot’s links to Australia, including his reported years as a student in Melbourne.
Who is the accused co-pilot?
Two sources with knowledge of the investigation identified him to Reuters as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national. Neither the UAE nor Oman has officially confirmed his identity.
What happened on flydubai flight FZ1073?
On September 30, the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with an emergency crash axe about two hours into the Dubai to Tel Aviv flight. The plane plunged some 16,000 feet before passengers and crew subdued him, and a reserve pilot landed the jet at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.
