The violence inside the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073 on September 30 is in the news these days. The co-pilot who tried to crash the flight was an Omani national named Hamam al-Hamami. Reportedly, Hamami was visiting extremist websites and was banned by Oman Air. Hamami’s terrorist connections have also come to light. Meanwhile, several countries are investigating Hamami’s background.

According to reports, Australian and Israeli officials are investigating Omani co-pilot Hamam Al-Hamami’s ties to Australia and how he became part of the crew of the Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight. An ongoing investigation led by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is probing his motives and contacts.

Checking the connection of Hammam Al-Hamami

According to news published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Sunday (October 4), the Australian Federal Police said the counter-terrorism team was investigating the man’s links to Australia. Police told the ABC and BBC that the Australian investigation was being carried out by the Victoria Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, which includes the Federal Police, Victoria Police and security intelligence agencies.

Hamami was granted a student visa in 2014.

Co-pilot Hamami was granted a student visa in 2014, sources told Australian media. He studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017. After this he left the country. According to ABC News, his visa was revoked in 2019. However, the reason for the cancellation of the visa was not because of Hamami’s conduct but because he was not registered for any course and was therefore no longer eligible for a student visa.

An attempt to commit a terrorist act

Meanwhile, the UAE, which is leading the investigation, said on Saturday (October 2) that an investigation into co-pilot Hamam al-Hamami had found that he attempted to carry out the terrorist incident. According to the report, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said that Ko-Hamami used an ax present on the flight to attack the pilot and tried to take control of the flight. He said investigations are ongoing to determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident, motive and any possible connection.

Flight ban in Oman

Some media outlets have identified the co-pilot as Hamam al-Hamami, an Omani national, although his identity has not been officially confirmed. According to reports, Hamami was previously banned from flying to Oman due to concerns over his radical ideological views.