Counter-terrorism investigators are probing potential Australian links of the co-pilot of a FlyDubai plane that nearly crashed when he allegedly attacked the captain.
Hamam al-Hammami is accused of trying to seize control of the commercial flight while he and the pilot were in the cockpit of a plane bound for Tel Aviv.
Officials from the United Arab Emirates, which is leading the investigation, said the co-pilot struck the pilot with a cockpit crash axe and attempted to take over the plane in an incident being treated as a terrorist attack.
His actions nearly crashed the flight with 182 people on board before passengers and others rushed in and subdued him.
Multiple US media outlets reported that al-Hammami's now-deleted LinkedIn profile said he studied engineering at an Australian university.
AAP has been unable to independently verify its contents, but the Australian Financial Review reported he was granted a student visa in 2014 and left the country in 2019, based on information from an unnamed source.
Al-Hammami reportedly went on to study at New Buckinghamshire University in Britain, graduating with a degree in aviation management in 2023.
The Australian Federal Police confirmed on Sunday the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team was investigating the pilot's potential domestic connections.
The task force consists of officers from the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO.
The AFP said that an update on the investigation would be provided at an appropriate time.
An Omani national, al-Hammami had been barred from flying on his nation’s airline because of concerns about his extremist views, officials said.
A regional official and a person familiar with the matter said the co-pilot had been moved to an administrative job at Oman Air over concerns he had adopted extremist views.
He was later hired by UAE-based airline FlyDubai, the person said.
It was not immediately clear to what extent the co-pilot was vetted.
The official also said security agencies from four regional countries were working to establish the co-pilot’s motives, aided by the United States and other Western governments.
A FlyDubai spokesperson said in an email that the airline could not comment beyond its official statements and acknowledged “there are many questions at this stage”.
- with Reuters and AP
