Police investigating Flydubai co-pilot’s Australia ties

Australian authorities have joined an international investigation into the co-pilot accused of attacking the captain aboard a Flydubai flight bound for Israel. A spokesperson said the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, a multi-agency police and intelligence group, is carrying out inquiries into the accused pilot’s links with Australia. Media reports have identified the suspect as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national. News agencies citing sources say he was previously barred from flying in Oman over concerns about extremist views. Reuters reported, based on sources briefed on the Australian investigation, that al-Hammami studied at a university in Melbourne; a third source named RMIT University and said the study took place about a decade ago. The incident unfolded as the aircraft approached Israeli airspace, when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with a crash axe and tried to take control. Passengers and crew overpowered the co-pilot, a reserve pilot took over, and the aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. UAE officials, including the country’s prosecutor general Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, have described the episode as an attempted “terrorist act.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the case exposed a loophole in existing arrangements intended to prevent pilots who are nationals of countries without diplomatic relations with Israel from flying there, and he indicated Israel would tighten its checks. UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said the attack was a reminder that the region’s struggle against extremism continues. The UAE has not publicly announced a motive or whether investigators believe the accused acted alone.