Australia Probes Flydubai Co-Pilot’s Ties Following Axe Assault on Dubai–Tel Aviv Flight

Australian authorities are examining the co-pilot’s connections to Australia after he allegedly attacked the captain with a crash axe aboard a Flydubai flight bound for Israel.

The co-pilot is said to have assaulted the captain mid-flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, before passengers subdued him and regained control of the aircraft.

While Australian officials have not named the suspect, multiple outlets including Reuters, CNN and The New York Times have identified him as Hamam al-Hammami.

The UAE prosecutor general confirmed an investigation into the incident and any possible motives.

In a statement to the BBC, the Australian Federal Police said it is investigating “the man’s links to Australia”, working alongside state police and the national security agency, with further updates expected “at the appropriate time”.

Sources familiar with the case told Australian media that the co-pilot entered Australia on a student visa in 2014, studied there between 2015 and 2017, and later left the country.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that his student visa was cancelled in 2019 after he ceased enrolment, rendering him ineligible.

Counter-terrorism officials are assessing whether he was radicalised while in Australia, the ABC added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the suspect as an Omani national.

The Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight on 30 September was carrying more than 170 passengers.

About two and a half hours into the journey, the plane dropped 17,000ft (5,200m) when the Omani co-pilot attacked the pilot with a crash axe, according to the UAE prosecutor general.

Capt Smit Machchhar, the pilot flying the aircraft, recounted lying injured on the floor as the plane descended, saying: “I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside”, which allowed passengers to intervene.

Two reserve pilots subsequently landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia.

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