Australian agencies investigate Omani flydubai co-pilot after attempted hijacking of Israel-bound flight
Quick Look
- Australian security agencies are investigating an Omani flydubai co-pilot who allegedly attempted to hijack an Israel-bound flight after it emerged he spent two years in Australia as a student.
- Passengers and crew intervened to stop the attempt, during which the pilot was stabbed and the plane plunged 16,625 feet in 30 seconds.
- The co-pilot, identified as Hammam al-Hammami, used a crash axe in what UAE authorities called a terrorist attack.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The co-pilot, Hammam al-Hammami, was granted an Australian student visa in 2014 and arrived in 2015 to study at an Australian university. He left Australia in 2017, and his visa was cancelled in 2019 after authorities confirmed he was no longer enrolled. He had previously studied aviation management via distance learning at Buckinghamshire New University in the UK but did not undertake pilot training there.
Australian security agencies have launched an investigation after it emerged that the flydubai co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack an Israel-bound flight spent about two years in the country as a student.
Disaster was narrowly averted on Wednesday when passengers and crew intervened to stop the co-pilot’s attempt to take control of the flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, which had 182 people onboard and plunged 16,625 feet (5,067 metres) in just over 30 seconds.
The United Arab Emirates’ prosecutor general has said the co-pilot had used a crash axe in the attempted “terrorist attack”, in which the pilot was stabbed mid-air. Numerous media outlets have named the co-pilot as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national.
A source familiar with the case, but not authorised to speak publicly, said the man was granted an Australian student visa in 2014, before arriving in the country to commence a university course the following year.
He left Australia in 2017, and his visa was cancelled in 2019 after authorities confirmed he was no longer enrolled in the course, the source said.
The Australian federal police (AFP) on Sunday said multiple agencies – including the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) – were probing the man’s connections to the country.
“The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (VIC JCTT), comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO, can confirm it is investigating the man’s links to Australia,” an AFP spokesperson said.
“An update will be provided at an appropriate time.”
US media outlets, including CNN, reported that a now-deleted LinkedIn profile said al-Hammami had studied engineering at an Australian university. Guardian Australia has not verified which university the co-pilot attended.
It came after a British university, Buckinghamshire New University, said a student named Hamam al-Hammami had “previously completed a distance-learning course in aviation management” at the institution. It added: “He did not undertake any pilot training at the university.”
A flydubai spokesperson on Saturday said the circumstances surrounding the incident were still under investigation and the airline was not in a position to comment further.
The airline’s flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv have been suspended until further notice after the attack. The Omani co-pilot and the flight’s Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, were taken to the UAE, as it leads the investigation. Officials have said a number of countries including Israel are participating.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that the co-pilot had been barred from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted extremist views. He was then moved to an administrative job at Oman Air, according to the official, before being hired by the UAE-based budget airline flydubai.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Australian authorities will release further details about the co-pilot's activities and connections during his time in Australia.
Likely · Within weeks
Flydubai will maintain the suspension of its Dubai-Tel Aviv flights pending the outcome of the UAE-led investigation.
Very likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Which Australian university did the co-pilot attend?
- What specific extremist views did Oman authorities cite when barring him from flying?
- What is the nature of the co-pilot's alleged connections to Australia under investigation?
- Were there any warning signs prior to the flight that were missed by authorities or employers?
