Abandoned degree in Australia, flight training in New Zealand: Flydubai co-pilot’s links probed
Flydubai attack: The UAE prosecutor general stated that Hammami used a crash axe and stabbed the pilot during what was described as an attempted "terrorist attack".
- Oct 7, 2026,
- Updated Oct 7, 2026 3:40 PM IST
New Zealand police confirmed that Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani national, stayed in the country for 175 days on a student visa from November 30, 2018, to May 23, 2019. The alleged attempted hijacking of the Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv has led to investigations into co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami’s past activities and connections in countries where he lived and trained. New Zealand authorities are now examining his time in their country.
According to a report in The Guardian, Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Johnson said Hammami was in New Zealand to complete part of his flight training for a UK-based company that no longer operates there. Authorities are investigating his time in New Zealand as part of the probe.
The UAE prosecutor general stated that Hammami used a crash axe and stabbed the pilot during what was described as an attempted "terrorist attack". Israeli and regional officials suspect he had planned an attack in July but postponed it.
Hammami’s background is also under scrutiny in Australia, where security agencies launched an investigation after learning he spent about two years as a student until 2017. RMIT University in Melbourne confirmed he left Australia without completing his engineering degree.
The investigation follows the September 30 incident on a Flydubai flight carrying 182 people to Tel Aviv. Passengers and crew intervened after Hammami allegedly attacked the captain and tried to take control of the aircraft.
A now-deleted social media profile believed to be Hammami’s showed him as a student in Melbourne. The UK’s Telegraph reported on a deleted X account linked to him, which described his overseas university years as a time of strong religious commitment and said he became less observant after returning to Oman.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has called for a thorough investigation into Hammami’s associations in Australia.
The flight’s captain, Smit Machchhar, said Hammami attacked him shortly after he left his seat to pray. Despite his injuries, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower the co-pilot. A reserve Flydubai pilot then took control and landed the aircraft in north-western Saudi Arabia, where Hammami was detained.
New Zealand police confirmed that Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani national, stayed in the country for 175 days on a student visa from November 30, 2018, to May 23, 2019. The alleged attempted hijacking of the Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv has led to investigations into co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami’s past activities and connections in countries where he lived and trained. New Zealand authorities are now examining his time in their country.
According to a report in The Guardian, Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Johnson said Hammami was in New Zealand to complete part of his flight training for a UK-based company that no longer operates there. Authorities are investigating his time in New Zealand as part of the probe.
The UAE prosecutor general stated that Hammami used a crash axe and stabbed the pilot during what was described as an attempted "terrorist attack". Israeli and regional officials suspect he had planned an attack in July but postponed it.
Hammami’s background is also under scrutiny in Australia, where security agencies launched an investigation after learning he spent about two years as a student until 2017. RMIT University in Melbourne confirmed he left Australia without completing his engineering degree.
The investigation follows the September 30 incident on a Flydubai flight carrying 182 people to Tel Aviv. Passengers and crew intervened after Hammami allegedly attacked the captain and tried to take control of the aircraft.
A now-deleted social media profile believed to be Hammami’s showed him as a student in Melbourne. The UK’s Telegraph reported on a deleted X account linked to him, which described his overseas university years as a time of strong religious commitment and said he became less observant after returning to Oman.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has called for a thorough investigation into Hammami’s associations in Australia.
The flight’s captain, Smit Machchhar, said Hammami attacked him shortly after he left his seat to pray. Despite his injuries, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower the co-pilot. A reserve Flydubai pilot then took control and landed the aircraft in north-western Saudi Arabia, where Hammami was detained.