Australian police are investigating the Australian connections of a Flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking his captain during the flight

Australian police confirmed on Saturday, October 4, that they are investigating the Australian links of Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national identified as the co-pilot of Flydubai Flight 1073, which was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The investigation concerns his possible connections to extremist individuals or groups and the period during which he may have lived in Australia.

The investigation is being conducted by Victoria’s joint counterterrorism team, comprising the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and the ASIO intelligence agency. Two sources cited by Reuters said that al-Hammami may have studied at RMIT University in Melbourne, but the institution declined to comment.

The incident on board the aircraft was described by authorities in the United Arab Emirates as a terrorist attack. According to the Emirati attorney general, the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with an emergency axe. Flydubai announced an investigation to clarify the circumstances.

The Financial Times reported, citing anonymous sources, that al-Hammami may have attended mosques considered radical in Australia and accessed websites associated with extremism. The information, including the existence of a file held by Australian intelligence services, has not been officially confirmed. Authorities are to determine whether his stay in Australia was connected to the attack.