Australian Federal Police confirmed on October 4 that the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team is investigating the links to Australia of the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 — the first foreign law-enforcement agency to open an inquiry since the alleged hijacking attempt.
An AFP spokesperson said the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (VIC JCTT) "is investigating the man's links to Australia" and would provide an update at an appropriate time. The unit brings together federal police, Victoria Police, and the domestic intelligence agency ASIO. Two sources told Reuters the co-pilot is Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national; UAE authorities have not confirmed his identity, Oman has not commented, and flydubai says a full investigation is under way.
Several people briefed on the investigation said the co-pilot studied at a university in Melbourne about a decade ago. RMIT University confirmed he had been enrolled there but did not complete an engineering qualification, declining to name him or give dates. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, he was issued a student visa in 2014, studied in Australia from 2015 to 2017, and had the visa canceled in 2019 after he was no longer enrolled in active studies and failed to meet residency conditions.
The Financial Times, citing two people familiar with the investigation, reported that al-Hammami had visited radical mosques and extremist websites while in Australia, and that Australian intelligence services held a file on him. Reuters said it could not independently verify the FT report. Determining whether he underwent ideological radicalization while in the country is the central question for Australian counterterrorism officials, ABC reported.
New Zealand police said the same day that the co-pilot had also spent time in New Zealand and that authorities there would investigate his history in the country. Law-enforcement agencies in both Australia and New Zealand are now examining the suspect's background.
The underlying incident took place on September 30: aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, the co-pilot attacked the captain with an emergency crash axe and attempted to seize the aircraft and crash it. The UAE prosecutor general has called the incident a "terrorist attack." According to an aviation instructor who recreated the descent in a flight simulator for Reuters, the jet plunged some 16,000 feet in about 30 seconds before being leveled out and landing safely. The co-pilot is in UAE custody, and no formal charges have been announced.