Australian Federal Police Investigating Alleged Flydubai Pilot Attack Links to Australia
Quick Look
- The Australian Federal Police is investigating alleged links to Australia of a flydubai pilot who was stabbed by his co-pilot in an attempted cockpit attack to crash the plane en route to Tel Aviv, forcing an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
- The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, including AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO, is conducting the probe into whether the co-pilot was radicalised during his 2015-2017 stay in Australia on a student visa.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The co-pilot held an Australian student visa from 2014, studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017, and left the country afterward. His visa was cancelled in 2019 due to lack of enrolment, not character grounds. The investigation examines whether he was radicalised during his time in Australia.
In short:
The Australian Federal Police are investigating the alleged flydubai attacker's links to Australia.
The pilot was stabbed by his co-pilot in an alleged attempt to crash the plane on Wednesday.
What's next?
The investigation is being conducted by the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) says it is investigating Australian links to a flydubai pilot who allegedly attacked a colleague in the cockpit.
The pilot was stabbed by his co-pilot in an alleged attempt to crash the flydubai plane on Wednesday.
The jet plunged nearly 14,000 feet (4,267 metres) in less than 30 seconds in the incident.
The flight bound for Tel Aviv was carrying 174 people and was forced to divert to Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing.
The investigation is being conducted by the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO, an AFP spokesperson said.
An AFP spokesperson said an update would be provided "at an appropriate time".
Sources close to the issue have confirmed the co-pilot was issued a student visa in 2014 and studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017, whereafter he left the country.
His visa was cancelled in 2019.
The ABC understands his visa was not cancelled on character grounds, but due to his lack of enrolment in a course, rendering him ineligible for a student visa.
The ABC understands the Joint Counter Terrorism Team investigation will examine whether the man was radicalised while in Australia.
ABC
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Joint Counter Terrorism Team will release an update on the investigation at an appropriate time.
Very likely · Within weeks
The investigation will examine whether the co-pilot was radicalised while in Australia.
Very likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Was the co-pilot radicalised during his stay in Australia?
- What was the motive behind the alleged attack?
- Are there any additional links to extremist networks?
- What security protocols failed to detect potential risks?