Australian investigators examine flydubai co-pilot’s ties after in-flight attack

Australian authorities, through the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, are investigating the links of the flydubai co-pilot who assaulted the captain and attempted to seize control of flight FZ1073 bound for Israel. The man, identified as Omani national Hamam Al-Hamami, is reported to have studied at a university in Melbourne, with one source mentioning RMIT University around ten years ago. After the attack, the aircraft plunged 16,000 feet in roughly half a minute before a reserve pilot stabilized it and landed at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was detained and later transferred to the UAE.

UAE prosecutors have called the incident a terrorist attack, though no formal charges have been announced. Australian intelligence had a file on Al-Hamami and is now reviewing his alleged visits to radical mosques and extremist websites while in Australia. The case raises concerns about pilot vetting and potential extremist influences on commercial aviation.