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Australian federal authorities have launched an investigation into the background of the Flydubai co-pilot accused of attempting to seize control of a passenger jet bound for Israel, focusing on the time he spent in the country as a student. The Australian Federal Police confirmed to the BBC that it is examining "the man's links to Australia," a probe being conducted alongside state police forces and the nation's domestic security agency. Officials indicated that further details would be released "at the appropriate time," without offering a timeline for the inquiry.
The co-pilot has not been formally named by Australian authorities, but several major international news organisations — including Reuters, CNN and The New York Times — have identified him as Hamam al-Hammami. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the man is an Omani national, a detail that adds a diplomatic dimension to a case already spanning multiple jurisdictions.
The incident at the centre of the investigation unfolded on 30 September during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying more than 170 passengers. According to the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general, roughly two and a half hours into the journey the co-pilot attacked the captain with a crash axe, causing the aircraft to plunge approximately 17,000 feet (5,200 metres). The dramatic loss of altitude threatened the safety of everyone on board before the situation was brought under control.
The captain, identified as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, has described the harrowing moments after the assault. Injured and lying on the floor, he realised the plane was descending and concluded he had to act. He recounted telling himself to make "one last push to open the door from inside," an effort that allowed passengers to enter the cockpit and subdue the attacker. Two reserve pilots subsequently took the controls and landed the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia.
Machchhar was taken to a nearby hospital before being airlifted to Abu Dhabi, where he is reported to be in a stable condition. His account has been widely circulated, including in a video in which he spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underscoring the international interest the case has generated.
The co-pilot was arrested following the emergency landing and is being questioned by Saudi authorities, according to Netanyahu. Meanwhile, the UAE's attorney general, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said on Saturday that investigations were under way to establish the circumstances, motives and any connections related to the attack. Citing the country's state news agency, he said the inquiry had revealed that the co-pilot attempted to carry out a "terrorist act" — a significant escalation in the official characterisation of the event.
Australian media have pieced together elements of the man's history in the country. Sources familiar with the case told Australian outlets that the co-pilot was granted a student visa in 2014 and studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017 before leaving. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the visa was cancelled in 2019 because he was no longer enrolled in a course, rendering him ineligible to hold it.
Counter-terrorism officials are expected to examine whether the man was radicalised during his time in Australia, the ABC reported. That question sits at the heart of the broader investigation, which will seek to determine whether his years in the country played any role in shaping the alleged attack or whether the radicalisation occurred elsewhere. The involvement of counter-terrorism agencies signals the seriousness with which authorities are treating the possibility of a domestic dimension to an overseas terror plot.
Questions about the co-pilot's employment record have also surfaced in the days since the attack. While working at another airline, Oman Air, US media reported that al-Hammami was removed from flight training because of concerns over his radical views and was reassigned to a different role at Oman's national carrier. The disclosure raises uncomfortable questions for aviation regulators and employers about how individuals flagged for extremist leanings can later obtain positions with access to aircraft controls.
Further details have emerged about his educational background in the United Kingdom. From 2020, he was enrolled in a distance-learning course run by Buckinghamshire New University, graduating with a degree in aviation management in 2023. The university said he did not undertake any pilot training at the institution, a clarification that may serve to distance the school from the operational aspects of his flying career.
The flight's trajectory, reconstructed from tracking data, illustrates the severity of the emergency. Flydubai flight FZ1073 departed Dubai at 03:05 GMT and headed north-west across Saudi Arabia toward Israel. Near the Israel-Jordan border, the aircraft declared a general emergency at 05:31 and issued a hijacking alert at 05:38 before turning away from Tel Aviv. It then diverted south, landing at Tabuk Airport in north-west Saudi Arabia at 06:58.
The case has drawn attention from aviation safety bodies and security analysts, who note that cockpit security protocols are designed precisely to prevent unauthorised access to flight controls. The fact that a co-pilot — a trusted member of the flight crew — allegedly carried out the assault highlights the difficulty of defending against threats from within the cockpit, a challenge that airlines and regulators have grappled with for years.
The multi-national nature of the investigation reflects the complex web of jurisdictions involved. Emirati prosecutors are pursuing the case in the UAE, Saudi authorities are questioning the suspect, Australian police and security agencies are examining his past links to the country, and Israeli officials have commented on his nationality. Each strand could produce findings that shape the legal and diplomatic response to the attack.
For Australia, the investigation carries reputational and security implications. If evidence emerges that the man was radicalised on Australian soil, it would prompt fresh scrutiny of the country's student visa system and its monitoring of foreign nationals during and after their studies. The fact that his visa was cancelled in 2019 for non-enrolment — rather than for security concerns — may also invite questions about whether earlier warning signs were missed.
As the inquiries continue, the focus remains on establishing a complete picture of the co-pilot's movements, associations and motivations across the countries where he lived, studied and worked. The answers will determine not only the legal fate of the suspect but also how governments and airlines assess the risks posed by insider threats in commercial aviation.
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