FlyDubai co-pilot failed to complete university studies in Australia

By Amy Bainbridge and Danny Lee

 

The FlyDubai pilot accused of attempting a murder-suicide mission on an Israel-bound flight didn’t complete his university studies in Australia.

 

Hamam al-Hammami, the 29-year-old Omani co-pilot who allegedly attacked his captain mid-flight, had been enrolled at RMIT University in Melbourne but failed to finish an engineering qualification, the university said in a statement Monday.

 

His years in Australia have become a focal point as investigators examine whether his time there contributed to his radicalization. 

 

RMIT said it was “aware of media reporting of a former student alleged to be involved in the FlyDubai flight incident,” adding it was unable to comment further as investigations continue. The university is one of Australia’s oldest tertiary institutions and has a total of about 99,000 students.

 

Australian authorities have confirmed they are probing al-Hammami’s alleged links to the country. The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, which includes federal police, state police, and intelligence agencies, will provide an update at an appropriate time, a police spokesperson said. 

 

Investigators are looking into al-Hammami’s alleged visits to radical mosques and extremist websites during his time in Australia, the Financial Times reported Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

 

Al-Hammami’s alleged interest in extremist content from his days as a student adds more context to his career as a pilot. He was dismissed by Oman Air over concerns about his radical views, yet still managed to secure a position at FlyDubai, a sister airline of Emirates.

 

The Israeli government has identified al-Hammami as the pilot who attempted to hijack a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight on Sept. 30, allegedly attacking the captain with an ax inside the cockpit. The aircraft plunged more than 14,000 feet in 30 seconds, flight-tracking data showed.

 

The Boeing plane, which had more than 170 passengers on board, managed to land safely at a regional airport in Saudi Arabia after passengers and a reserve crew on board intervened to subdue al-Hammami and stabilize the aircraft.