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Australian authorities are investigating the links between the country and a Flydubai co-pilot who attempted to take control of a plane travelling to Israel.<\/b><\/p>\n
The co-pilot is alleged to have attacked the captain with a crash axe during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv before passengers managed to overpower him and successfully take control of the plane.<\/p>\n
The Australian authorities have not identified the co-pilot, who has been named by multiple media outlets including Reuters, CNN and The New York Times as Hamam al-Hammami.<\/p>\n
The prosecutor in the UAE has said it is investigating the incident and any possible motives.<\/p>\n
In a statement to the BBC, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed its investigation into “the man’s links to Australia”.<\/p>\n
The investigation involves state police and the country’s security agency, it said, adding that an update would be “provided at the appropriate time”.<\/p>\n
Sources familiar with the case, who have spoken to Australian media, have said the co-pilot was issued a student visa in 2014, and studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017, until he left the country.<\/p>\n
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said the co-pilot’s student visa was cancelled in 2019 as he was no longer enrolled in a course, making him ineligible for it.<\/p>\n
Counter-terrorism officials will look at whether the man was radicalised in Australia, the ABC reported.<\/p>\n
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he was an Omani national. <\/p>\n
The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September was carrying more than 170 passengers to Israel. <\/p>\n
Two and a half hours into its journey, the plane plunged 17,000ft (5,200m) when the Omani co-pilot attacked the pilot with a crash axe<\/a>, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general has said.<\/p>\n The pilot flying the plane, Capt Smit Machchhar, described how he was lying on the floor injured when he realised the plane was sinking and he had to act, explaining: “I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside”, which allowed the passengers in.<\/p>\n Two reserve pilots then landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n