The United \u2060Arab Emirates\u2019 prosecutor general has said the co-pilot had used a crash axe<\/a> in the attempted \u201cterrorist attack\u201d, in which the pilot was stabbed mid-air. Numerous media outlets have named the co-pilot as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The Australian federal police (AFP) on Sunday said multiple agencies \u2013 including the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) \u2013 were probing the man\u2019s connections to the country.<\/p>\n Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (VIC JCTT), comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO, can confirm it is investigating the man\u2019s links to Australia,\u201d an AFP spokesperson said.<\/p>\n \u201cAn update will be provided at an appropriate time.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a>Free newsletter |When needed<\/p>\n Sign up to Breaking News Australia<\/p>\n Get the most important news as it breaks<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n It came after a British university, Buckinghamshire New University, said a student named Hamam al-Hammami<\/a> had \u201cpreviously completed a distance-learning course in aviation management\u201d at the institution. It added: \u201cHe did not undertake any pilot training at the university.\u201d<\/p>\n A flydubai spokesperson on Saturday said the circumstances surrounding the incident were still \u200cunder investigation and the airline was not in a position to comment further.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791124939_584_2998.jpg\")
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