From the Guardian · · 1m 40s
Flydubai co-pilot studied in Australia before alleged hijack
The Omani national accused of stabbing a pilot on an Israel-bound flight attended RMIT in Melbourne but did not finish his engineering degree.
In brief
The Omani national accused of stabbing a pilot on an Israel-bound flight attended RMIT in Melbourne but did not finish his engineering degree. An Omani co-pilot accused of attempting to hijack a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv studied engineering at RMIT in Melbourne between 2015 and 2017 but did not complete his…
Pilot stabbed on flight to Tel Aviv
On September 30, a flydubai co-pilot allegedly tried to hijack a flight to Tel Aviv carrying 182 people. Passengers and crew stopped him after he stabbed the pilot mid-air with a crash axe.
Co-pilot identified as Omani national
Media outlets identified the co-pilot as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national. The United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said he allegedly used a crash axe in the attempted terrorist attack.
Al-Hammami studied at RMIT Melbourne
RMIT university in Melbourne confirmed al-Hammami was enrolled as a student but did not successfully complete an engineering qualification. He studied at the university between 2015 and 2017.
“The individual was enrolled at RMIT but did not successfully complete an engineering qualification.”
Australian authorities investigating his time here
The Australian federal police said multiple agencies including the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation are investigating al-Hammami's connections to Australia. A source said he was granted a student visa in 2014.
Visa cancelled after he left in 2017
Al-Hammami left Australia in 2017, and his visa was cancelled in 2019 after authorities confirmed he was no longer enrolled in his course. The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team is investigating his links to the country.
Oman had barred him from flying
The Wall Street Journal reported that Oman had barred al-Hammami from flying over concerns he adopted extremist views. He was moved to an administrative job at Oman Air before being hired by flydubai.
The bottom line
An Omani co-pilot accused of attempting to hijack a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv studied engineering at RMIT in Melbourne between 2015 and 2017 but did not complete his qualification.
