&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Flydubai co-pilot was in Australia for 2 years on student visa, investigation launched")
The flydubai co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack an Israel-bound flight and attacked a colleague in the cockpit spent about two years in Australia as a student. The revelation has led to Australian Federal Police (AFP) to launch an investigation. The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO are involved in the probe, said an AFP spokesperson.
“The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (VIC JCTT), comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO, can confirm it is investigating the man’s links to Australia,” an AFP spokesperson said adding, “An update will be provided at an appropriate time.”
Several media outlets have named the co-pilot as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national.
According to a Guardian report that cites sources, the man was granted an Australian student visa in 2014, before arriving in the country to commence a university course the following year.
He left Australia in 2017, and his visa was cancelled in 2019 after authorities confirmed he was no longer enrolled in the course, the source said.
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The hero pilot who saved several lives
Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, was flying a Boeing 737 to Israel on Wednesday (Oct 1) when his co-pilot attacked him. Despite multiple stab wounds, he opened the cockpit door and let in passengers, who subdued the co-pilot. This likely saved the 174 people on board. The flight, FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he wants Machchhar and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a flame at a national ceremony marking Israel's Independence Day next May, an honour he said is usually reserved for Israeli citizens. “All the citizens of Israel will embrace you,” he said.
