Australian authorities are investigating the links between Australia and an unnamed Flydubai co-pilot who attempted to hijack a plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30. The incident involved the co-pilot attacking the captain with a crash axe, leading passengers to intervene and regain control of the aircraft before it made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The investigation focuses on whether the co-pilot, identified by Reuters and other outlets as Hamam al-Hammami, was radicalized during his time in Australia, where he held a student visa from 2014 to 2017.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv signaled an emergency over Jordanian airspace, leading it to divert and land at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. The plane had initially transmitted distress signals before switching to codes indicating possible hijacking but reverted back to general emergency alerts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened urgent consultations regarding the incident, with Israel's air force scrambling jets due to initial fears of a hijack attempt. However, security officials later revealed that the alert was triggered by a physical altercation between the pilots rather than a hijacking threat; all passengers were reported safe upon landing.
Written for “Israel Bound Flight Diverted” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 298 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
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.
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who → publish → Israel
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.
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passengers → allege → plane
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.
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who → identify → Hammami
The prosecutor in the UAE has said it is investigating the incident and any possible motives.
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it → say → incident
In a statement to the BBC, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed its investigation into "the man's links to Australia".
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Police → confirm → Australia
The investigation involves state police and the country's security agency, it said, adding that an update would be "provided at the appropriate time".
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update → involve → time
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.
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he → speak → country
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.
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him → say → it
Counter-terrorism officials will look at whether the man was radicalised in Australia, the ABC reported.
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ABC → look → Australia
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he was an Omani national.
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he → say → ?
The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September was carrying more than 170 passengers to Israel.
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flight → carry → Israel
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, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general has said.
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general → plunge → axe
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.
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which → fly → passengers
Two reserve pilots then landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia.
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pilots → land → Arabia
Machchhar, and Indian national, was taken to a nearby hospital before being airlifted to Abu Dhabi, where he is reported to be in a stable condition.
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he → take → condition
The co-pilot was arrested after the emergency landing and is being questioned by Saudi authorities, according to Netanyahu.
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The UAE's attorney general, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said on Saturday investigations were under way to establish the circumstances, motives and any links related to the incident.
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investigations → say → incident
He said investigations into the incident revealed that the co-pilot attempted to carry out a "terrorist act", according to the country's state news agency.
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pilot → say → agency
In the days since the attack more details have come to light about the co-pilot's employment history.
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details → come → history
While working at another airline, Oman Air, US media reported that Al-Hammami was removed from flight training because of concerns over his radical views, and was given another role at Oman's national airline.
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Hammami → work → airline
It is also known that, from 2020, he was studying on a distance-learning course run by Buckinghamshire New University in the UK.
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He graduated with a degree in aviation management in 2023, the university said.
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university → graduate → 2023
It added he did not take any pilot training at the school.
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The Aporia
