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<\/a><\/p>\nPublished On 4 Oct 20264 Oct 2026<\/p>\n
Authorities have said they are investigating the links of the co-pilot of the Israel-bound Flydubai flight with Australia.<\/p>\n
A multi-agency Australian police and intelligence team \u2013 the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team \u2013 is carrying out the probe, a spokesperson said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
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Mystery surrounds the co-pilot, who is accused of attacking the captain<\/a> with an axe and attempting to seize control of Flight FZ1073 from Dubai as it approached Israel, and how he was able to acquire his seat in the plane\u2019s cockpit.<\/p>\n He has been identified in media reports as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami<\/a>.<\/p>\n He had been barred from flying in his own country because of concerns that he had adopted \u201cextremist\u201d views, The Associated Press news agency cited sources as saying.<\/p>\n While al-Hammami reportedly spent part of his life in the United Arab Emirates, the Reuters news agency, citing sources briefed on the Australian investigation, reported that he studied at a university in the Australian city of Melbourne.<\/p>\n A third unnamed source told the agency that he studied at RMIT University, a public research university in Melbourne, about a decade ago.<\/p>\n The Financial Times also reported al-Hammami\u2019s links to Australia. Citing two sources familiar with the Australian investigation, the FT said al-Hammami had allegedly visited what it described as \u201cradical mosques and extremist websites\u201d while in the country.<\/p>\n Disaster was averted after passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot<\/a> and a reserve pilot took over its controls and completed an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n