Australia probes flydubai co-pilot's links to the country, police say

Australia probes flydubai co-pilot's links to the country, police say.

Key points

• A multi-agency Australian counterterrorism unit is investigating links to Australia of the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073.
• The Financial Times documented on Sunday that Al-Hamami had allegedly visited "mosques and extremist websites" while in Australia, citing two residents familiar with the investigation.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a security review of international flights to Israel after the incident.
• Disaster on board flight FZ1073 was averted after passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot.
• Two sources briefed on the investigation remarked the co-pilot studied at a university in Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria.

Australia probes flydubai co-pilot's links to the country, police say. ReutersAFP Published October 4, 2026 Updated October 5, 2026 12: 07am. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

For context, a multi-agency Australian counterterrorism unit is investigating links to Australia of the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073. This person allegedly stabbed his captain and then attempted to hijack the plane, a police spokesperson remarked on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team – which comprises federal police, Victorian state police and the ASIO intelligence agency – was "investigating the man's links to Australia", the Australian Federal Police spokesperson remarked.

Two sources briefed on the investigation remarked the co-pilot studied at a university in Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria. A third source remarked he studied at RMIT University around a decade ago. RMIT declined to comment.

For context, the co-pilot of the flydubai flight FZ1073. It was bound for Israel from Dubai on Wednesday, attacked the pilot with an emergency crash axe, the United Arab Emirates' prosecutor general remarked on Saturday, calling the incident a "terrorist attack".

Flight FZ1073 would have felt like a "vertical roller coaster" when it plunged 16, 000 feet in regarding 30 seconds before being levelled out and landing safely, according to an aviation instructor who recreated the descent in a flight simulator for Reuters. Co-pilot in UAE custody.

Two sources have remarked the co-pilot is an Omani national named Hamam Al-Hamami. According to Israeli authorities have not named the co-pilot but, he is from Oman. UAE authorities and flydubai have not publicly disclosed the co-pilot's identity.

Reuters could not independently reach Al-Hamami. This person is in UAE custody, for comment. The UAE has not confirmed any formal charges against him and it is not known if he has appointed legal counsel. Oman has not commented on the incident.

Disaster on board flight FZ1073 was averted after passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot. This person had attacked the captain in what Israeli authorities stated was an attempt to crash the plane carrying more than 170 passengers and crew. The UAE public prosecutor has remarked the co-pilot had attempted to take control of the plane. Most of the passengers on board were Israeli nationals.

Meanwhile, a reserve flydubai pilot travelling on the flight took control of the aircraft and landed it at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was detained by Saudi authorities and afterwards transferred to the UAE on Thursday.

For context, the Financial Times documented on Sunday that Al-Hamami had allegedly visited "mosques and extremist websites" while in Australia, citing two residents familiar with the investigation. Australian intelligence services held a file on the individual, according to FT.

Reuters could not immediately verify the FT report. The administration of Australia did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours. Netanyahu orders security review of flights.

Netanyahu "has instructed the Head of the National Security Council, Shmuel Ben Ezra, to appoint an examiner to conduct a thorough review of all security aspects of foreign civil aviation to Israel", a statement from the premier's office remarked.

Israel does not have official diplomatic relations with Oman, and Netanyahu has additionally maintained pilots from such countries were not permitted to operate flights to Israel. It is not clear how the co-pilot came to be assigned to the flight to Tel Aviv.

Calls have mounted in Israel for an investigation into the security lapse.

Transport Minister Miri Regev rejected responsibility for the failure, saying security oversight for flights operated by foreign airlines falls under the remit of the Mossad and Shin Bet, Israel's foreign and domestic intelligence agencies.

In practice, a 2024 report by the state comptroller discovered there was no clear division of responsibility for the security of foreign airlines operating in Israel, and recommended that the administration address the matter.

Israeli media has documented that pilots from countries hostile to Israel have repeatedly flown into the country over recent years.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid dismissed Netanyahu's announcement of a security review as a "sham investigation".

"The chain of failures that preceded the incident could have led to a disaster of historic proportions, and this is how an Israeli prime minister responds?" Lapid wrote on X.

"Just as Netanyahu escaped an investigation into the October 7 massacre, he is now running away again, " he continued.

Gadi Eisenkot, a leading challenger to Netanyahu ahead of the October 27 election, wrote on X that "in a proper and functioning government, the minister of transportation would have submitted a letter of resignation last night".

In short, australia probes flydubai co-pilot' s links to the country, police say is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.