Australia investigates links to flydubai co-pilot after attack on captain
Australian counterterrorism investigators are examining the flydubai co-pilot’s links to Australia, while RMIT confirmed he had enrolled but did not complete an engineering qualification.
Melbourne, Australia. An Australian counterterrorism unit is investigating the Australian links of the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, who stabbed his captain and then attempted to hijack the aircraft, a police spokesperson said on Sunday.
Investigation into Australian links
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprising Australian Federal Police, Victorian state police and the ASIO intelligence agency, is “investigating the man’s links to Australia”, the federal police spokesperson said.
Two sources briefed on the investigation said the co-pilot had studied at a university in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, but did not identify the institution. A third source said he had studied at RMIT University in Melbourne around a decade ago.
In a brief statement on Monday, RMIT confirmed that the co-pilot had been enrolled at the university but had not successfully completed an engineering qualification. The university did not name him or say when he studied there.
Attack and rapid descent
Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Israel on Wednesday when the co-pilot attacked the captain with an emergency crash axe, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said on Saturday, describing the incident as a “terrorist attack”.
The aircraft plunged 16,000 feet in about 30 seconds before levelling out and landing safely. An aviation instructor who recreated the descent in a flight simulator for Reuters said it would have felt like a “vertical roller coaster”.
Passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot, averting disaster aboard the aircraft, which was carrying more than 170 passengers and crew. Israeli officials said the attack was an attempt to crash the plane, while the UAE public prosecutor said the co-pilot had attempted to take control of it.
Most passengers were Israeli nationals.
Identity and legal status
Two sources identified the co-pilot as Hamam Al-Hammami, an Omani national. Israeli officials have said he is from Oman but have not named him. UAE authorities and flydubai have not publicly disclosed his identity.
Reuters could not independently reach Al-Hammami, who is in UAE custody, for comment. The UAE has not announced formal charges against him, and it is not known whether he has appointed legal counsel. Oman has not commented on the incident.
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