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The Australian Federal Police announced that the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, is investigating the man’s links to Australia. An AFP spokesperson said the team can confirm it is investigating the man’s links to Australia and that an update would be provided at the appropriate time. The confirmation on October 4 follows widespread reports identifying the co-pilot as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, who Australian authorities have not named.
According to the UAE Attorney-General, al-Hammami assaulted the captain with a cockpit crash axe and attempted to seize the flight controls on Wednesday during flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The incident caused the Boeing 737 to plummet 14,000 feet in 29 seconds before passengers, crew and two off-duty pilots regained control and diverted the aircraft to a regional airport in Saudi Arabia, multiple outlets including ABC News and The Guardian reported. UAE officials are leading a multi-country investigation that includes Israel and have classified the event as an attempted terrorist act.
Sources familiar with the case told The Guardian that al-Hammami received an Australian student visa in 2014, arrived in Melbourne the following year and studied until 2017. His visa was cancelled in 2019 after authorities determined he was no longer enrolled in a course, the sources added. A now-deleted LinkedIn profile cited by US media outlets such as CNN indicated he had studied engineering at RMIT University, though Guardian Australia has not independently verified the specific institution.
US media including CNN and The Wall Street Journal reported that while at Oman Air, al-Hammami was removed from flight training over concerns about extremist views and reassigned to an administrative position. He subsequently completed a distance-learning aviation management degree from Buckinghamshire New University in Britain in 2023, according to Australian media accounts. These earlier episodes have drawn attention as investigators examine potential motives behind the mid-air incident.
The UAE Attorney-General stated that investigations continue to determine all circumstances, motives and any associated links, a position echoed across regional coverage. Flydubai suspended services between Dubai and Tel Aviv indefinitely after the event, the carrier said in a statement. The captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, sustained serious injuries but both he and the co-pilot were transferred to the UAE for further inquiries.
A timeline compiled by Gulf News showed the episode evolved from initial reports of a cockpit altercation on October 1 to the UAE declaring it a terrorist act by October 3. The flight carried roughly 180 passengers and crew, all of whom were later debriefed by authorities, according to the publication. The Australian probe remains focused exclusively on al-Hammami’s time in the country more than eight years ago.
