Australian authorities have launched an investigation into the links between the country and a Flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking the captain and attempting to take control of a flight bound for Israel.
The co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with a crash axe during the September 30 flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, forcing the aircraft to divert to Saudi Arabia after passengers overpowered him and helped the crew regain control.
The Australian Federal Police confirmed to the BBC that it was investigating “the man’s links to Australia”, with state police and the country’s security agency also involved in the probe.
The AFP said an update on the investigation would be “provided at the appropriate time”.
Australian media reported that the co-pilot obtained a student visa in 2014 and studied in the country from 2015 to 2017 before leaving.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that his student visa was cancelled in 2019 after he was no longer enrolled in a course.
Counter-terrorism officials are expected to examine whether he was radicalised while in Australia.
The co-pilot has not been officially identified by Australian authorities, although several international media organisations, including Reuters, CNN and The New York Times, have identified him as Hamam al-Hammami.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described him as an Omani national.
The flight, carrying more than 170 passengers, was about two-and-a-half hours into its journey when it plunged 17,000ft after the co-pilot allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe.
Machchhar, an Indian national, later recounted how he was injured and lying on the cockpit floor when he realised the aircraft was losing altitude.
He said: “I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside”, allowing passengers to enter the cockpit.
Two reserve pilots subsequently landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport in north-west Saudi Arabia.
Machchhar was taken to hospital before being airlifted to Abu Dhabi, where he was reported to be in stable condition.
The UAE prosecutor general, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances and motives behind the incident, as well as any possible links. UAE authorities said their findings indicated that the co-pilot had attempted to carry out a “terrorist act”.
The incident has also prompted scrutiny of the co-pilot’s previous employment.
US media reported that while working for Oman Air, he was removed from flight training over concerns about his radical views and was subsequently assigned another role at the airline.
He was also studying remotely at Buckinghamshire New University in the United Kingdom from 2020 and graduated with a degree in aviation management in 2023.
The university said he did not receive pilot training there.
