SYDNEY – The Australian authorities have started to probe flydubai co-pilot links to country after he was accused of attacking the captain of passenger aircraft and attempting to take control of the plane during a flight to Israel.
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, which includes the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), started to probe the man’s connections to Australia, an Australian Federal Police spokesperson said.
According to the international media reports, the co-pilot had previously studied at a university in Melbourne. RMIT University confirmed that the man had been enrolled there but did not complete an engineering qualification. The institution did not disclose his name or provide details about the period of his enrolment.
The incident occurred on Wednesday aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai towards Israel. According to the UAE prosecutor general, the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with an emergency crash axe in what authorities have described as a terrorist attack.
Passengers and crew members managed to restrain the co-pilot after the confrontation, preventing the situation from escalating further. A reserve pilot who was travelling on the aircraft subsequently took control and diverted the flight to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where the suspect was detained before being transferred to the United Arab Emirates.
More than 170 passengers and crew members were reportedly on board, with a large proportion of the passengers understood to be Israeli nationals.
The co-pilot, reported by sources to be an Omani national, remains in UAE custody. Authorities have not publicly confirmed his identity or announced formal charges against him.
Australian authorities are also examining reports concerning the suspect’s activities while he was studying in Australia. The investigation remains ongoing, and officials have not publicly disclosed further details about the possible motive or circumstances surrounding the alleged attack.
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