Australia probes flydubai incident after reports co-pilot studied in country

Australia has launched an investigation into the flydubai cockpit incident involving Captain Smit Machchhar after reports emerged that the co-pilot accused of attacking him had previously lived in the country as a student.

Captain Machchhar, an Indian pilot, was reportedly attacked with a cockpit crash axe by his co-pilot, identified as 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, during flydubai flight FZ1073 bound for Tel Aviv. Despite sustaining serious injuries, Machchhar managed to prevent the alleged attempt to take control of the aircraft and protect the 170 people on board.

According to a report by The Guardian, citing a source familiar with the case, al-Hammami was granted an Australian student visa in 2014 and travelled to the country the following year to begin a university course.

His visa was cancelled in 2019 after he had reportedly left Australia in 2017. Authorities were informed that he was no longer enrolled in the course, the source said.

Several media reports, citing al-Hammami’s now-deleted LinkedIn profile, said he had studied engineering at an Australian university. The institution he attended has not been identified.

The United Arab Emirates, which is leading the investigation into the incident, has described the in-flight confrontation as a “terrorist attack”.

Meanwhile, reports have also emerged of a confrontation between the cabin crew and Israeli passengers who helped restrain al-Hammami after the alleged attack on Machchhar.

According to the New York Post, the passengers said crew members repeatedly asked them to release the restrained co-pilot, prompting them to question the crew’s intentions.

Banking executive Tzvika Manes, one of three civilians who reportedly helped overpower al-Hammami, said the passengers were asked to “untie the terrorist”. Real estate professional Daniel Schlichter, who was seated near the cockpit, similarly recalled the tense exchange.

Footage shared by Israel-based news channel i24NEWS showed al-Hammami kneeling inside the aircraft with his hands tied behind his back and apparent bloodstains on his clothing. Passengers could be heard repeatedly saying “just police” and “only police”, indicating that they wanted to hand him over to law enforcement.