# Co-pilot's Australian past under security review

> Australian agencies investigate the flydubai co-pilot's two-year student stay after his alleged attempted hijacking of an Israel-bound flight.
- Title: Co-pilot's Australian past under security review | Shortify
- Summary: Australian agencies investigate the flydubai co-pilot's two-year student stay after his alleged attempted hijacking of an Israel-bound flight. Australian…
- Keywords: breaking, flydubai, hammam al-hammami, australia, asio, counter-terrorism, hijacking attempt, tel aviv, oman, news, politics, Co-pilot's
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/04/flydubai-co-pilot-time-in-australia-being-investigated-security-agencies-ntwnfb
- Published: 2026-10-04T01:26:39+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: breaking, flydubai, hammam al-hammami, australia, asio, counter-terrorism, hijacking attempt, tel aviv, oman, news, politics
## Cockpit attack averted mid-flight
On Wednesday, passengers and crew stopped the flydubai co-pilot from taking control of a flight to Tel Aviv carrying one hundred eighty-two people. The aircraft plunged sixteen thousand six hundred twenty-five feet in just over thirty seconds.
## Co-pilot named as Omani national
The United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said the co-pilot used a crash axe in the attempted terrorist attack, during which the pilot was stabbed mid-air. Numerous media outlets named him as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national.
## Student visa granted in two thousand fourteen
A source familiar with the case said Hammam al-Hammami was granted an Australian student visa in two thousand fourteen and arrived to commence a university course the following year. He left Australia in two thousand seventeen.
## Visa cancelled after course ended
His Australian visa was cancelled in two thousand nineteen after authorities confirmed he was no longer enrolled in the course. The Australian federal police and ASIO are now investigating his connections to the country.
## Engineering and aviation studies reported
US media outlets reported that a now-deleted LinkedIn profile said al-Hammami studied engineering at an Australian university. Buckinghamshire New University said a student named Hamam al-Hammami completed a distance-learning course in aviation management there.

> He did not undertake any pilot training at the university.
## Oman had barred him from flying
The Wall Street Journal reported that the co-pilot had been barred from flying by Oman over concerns he adopted extremist views. He was moved to an administrative job at Oman Air before being hired by the UAE-based budget airline flydubai.
## Key takeaway

Australian security agencies are investigating the flydubai co-pilot's time in the country as a student after he allegedly attempted to hijack a flight to Tel Aviv.