An Australian university confirmed that a flydubai co-pilot accused of attempting to hijack an Israel-bound flight had studied at its Melbourne campus but departed before completing his degree.
The incident was narrowly averted on 30 September when passengers and crew intervened to prevent the co-pilot, identified by media as Hammam al-Hammami, from seizing control of the flight to Tel Aviv carrying 182 people.
The United Arab Emirates’ prosecutor general stated the co-pilot allegedly wielded a crash axe during the attempted “terrorist attack,” stabbing the pilot mid-air. Media outlets have identified the co-pilot as al-Hammami, an Omani national.
On Monday, RMIT University in Melbourne confirmed in a statement that it “is aware of media reporting of a former student alleged to be involved in the Flydubai flight incident.”
“The individual was enrolled at RMIT but did not successfully complete an engineering qualification,” the university added.
“As this is an ongoing investigation, the University is unable to provide further comment.”
Former RMIT engineering students contacted by Guardian Australia reported no recollection of al-Hammami.
RMIT’s confirmation followed the Australian Federal Police (AFP) announcing on Sunday that agencies were investigating the man’s time in the country.
A source familiar with the case, but unauthorized to speak publicly, revealed the man obtained an Australian student visa in 2014 and arrived the following year to begin his university course.
He left Australia in 2017, and his visa was canceled in 2019 after authorities confirmed he was no longer enrolled, the source said.
The AFP confirmed on Sunday that multiple agencies—including the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO)—were probing the man’s connections to the country.
“The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (VIC JCTT), comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO, can confirm it is investigating the man’s links to Australia,” an AFP spokesperson stated.
“An update will be provided at an appropriate time.”
Court records and prior media reports indicate several Australians charged with terror offenses or suspected of Islamic extremism studied at RMIT around the same time as al-Hammami, though there is no evidence he knew them.
Buckinghamshire New University in the UK confirmed a student named Hamam al-Hammami had “previously completed a distance-learning course in aviation management,” adding he “did not undertake any pilot training at the university.”
A flydubai spokesperson stated on Saturday that the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation, and the airline cannot comment further.
The airline suspended flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv following the attack. The Omani co-pilot and the flight’s Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, were taken to the UAE, which leads the investigation, with officials noting that several countries, including Israel, are participating.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the co-pilot had been barred from flying by Oman over concerns about extremist views. He was subsequently moved to an administrative role at Oman Air before being hired by UAE-based budget carrier flydubai.