Law enforcement and security officials in Australia have opened an inquiry into a co-pilot who carried out a violent cockpit attack aboard a commercial airliner earlier this week. The Australian Federal Police verified that officers are examining the individual's past connections to the nation, working alongside domestic security services and regional police departments.
The incident took place during a scheduled Flydubai service from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30. Roughly two and a half hours after takeoff, while carrying more than 170 travelers, the aircraft experienced a sudden descent of 17,000 feet. According to officials in the United Arab Emirates, the Omani co-pilot assaulted the captain using an emergency crash axe inside the flight deck.
Injured and pinned on the cockpit floor, the pilot, identified as Smit Machchhar, managed to trigger a rescue by urging himself to make one final effort to unlock the cabin door from the inside. Passengers rushed into the cockpit to overpower the attacker and regain control of the vessel. Two reserve aviators subsequently guided the plane to a safe emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
The captain was initially transported to a local medical facility before being transferred by air to Abu Dhabi, where he remains in stable condition. The co-pilot was immediately taken into custody upon landing and is currently being interrogated by Saudi authorities. The attorney general of the UAE has classified the mid-air event as an attempted terrorist act, with prosecutors actively probing the underlying motives and circumstances.
Media reports and local authorities have identified the suspect as Hamam al-Hammami. Investigators in Australia are tracing his historical footprint in the country, where public broadcasters report he originally obtained a student visa in 2014. He resided and studied in Australia from 2015 until his departure, though his visa was eventually revoked in 2019 due to a lack of active enrollment.
Counter-terrorism analysts are reviewing whether the man may have undergone radicalisation during his time living in Australia. Additional background information indicates that prior to joining Flydubai, the co-pilot worked for Oman Air. Reports from United States media outlets suggest he was previously removed from pilot training programs at that carrier over worries regarding extreme views, prompting the airline to transition him into a ground position.
Academic records show he later pursued higher education remotely through Buckinghamshire New University in the United Kingdom, earning an aviation management degree in 2023 without participating in any flight instruction at the institution. Australian authorities stated that further findings regarding the inquiry will be released publicly when appropriate.
Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC News. Read the original report at BBC News.
