United Arab Emirates Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said on Friday that the co-pilot who allegedly attempted to hijack a Flydubai flight last month started a “drift towards extremism and terrorism” while studying in Australia in 2017.
The pilot, widely named as Hamam al-Hammami, 29, allegedly tried to crash flight FZ1073 into Tel Aviv’s airport in a suicide attack on 30 September. He wounded the captain with an emergency crash axe before passengers overpowered him. Another crew member landed the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia. More than 170 passengers and crew were on board.
According to the UAE state news agency Wam, interrogations revealed the pilot was inspired by al-Qaeda’s 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States. “The findings indicated that signs of his drift towards extremism and terrorism first emerged in 2017, while he was studying in Australia,” al-Shamsi was quoted as saying.
During that period, he was influenced by takfiri ideology through reading extremist literature and following online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks, the attorney-general said. The pilot told investigators he had prepared himself psychologically and physically, including boxing training under a private coach. He admitted acting alone, though investigations continue to verify that claim.
Melbourne’s RMIT University confirmed the pilot studied there but left before completing his engineering qualification. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported he held an Australian student visa from 2014 and studied in the country from 2015 to 2017.
The Sydney Morning Herald uncovered deleted social media posts in which the pilot referred to his years in Australia, Britain and New Zealand as “the golden years of my religious commitment”.
Australia’s Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team — comprising the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation — said it is investigating the man’s links to Australia.
Indian co-pilot Captain Smit Machchhar has been hailed as a hero for unlocking the cockpit door while under attack, allowing passengers to enter and subdue the assailant.
The incident has raised questions about security vetting. Regional officials said Oman Air had previously barred the co-pilot from flying and moved him to an administrative role due to concerns about his extremist views. He was later hired by Flydubai after standard security checks that did not screen for radicalisation indicators.
Israeli aviation regulations prohibit pilots who are citizens of countries without formal diplomatic relations with Israel — such as Oman — from operating flights to the country.
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