A second investigation has been launched into Hamam Al Hammami by authorities thousands of miles from where the alleged axe attack mid-air attack took place
Authorities in a second country have confirmed they are now investigating the Flydubai co-pilot who allegedly attacked his colleague mid-air with an axe.
Hamam Al Hammami, from Oman, is said to have attacked his Indian co-pilot Captain Smit Machchhar on a flight from Dubai to Tel-Aviv on Wednesday (September 30) with a ‘crash axe’. Even as he lay on the floor of cockpit with severe stab wounds, Captain Smit unlocked the door, allowing passengers to subdue Al Hammami.
Two off-duty pilots then rushed into the cockpit to save the plane which had hurtled into a terrifying descent, losing 14,000ft of altitude in 30 seconds, data shows. It took around 10 minutes to ‘stabilise’ the plane, but the plane ultimately landed safely in Saudi Arabia. Miraculously, none of the 182 passengers were seriously injured.
In the aftermath of the attack, authorities in the UAE have started an investigation into events. The country’s attorney general, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, told state media ‘investigations into the incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 found that the co-pilot had attempted to carry out a terrorist attack’.
Now, a second country has launched an investigation into Al Hammami. Australian officials have confirmed two police forces and a security agency have opened a probe into the co-pilot.
A spokesperson for the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (VIC JCTT), which includes Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police, and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation — its version of MI5 — said: “Vic JCTT can confirm it is investigating the man’s links to Australia.”
They added a ‘further update’ will be issued ‘at the appropriate time’. The spokesperson has not clarified the nature of the investigation, or the alleged links to Australia.
After landing at Tabuk’s Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport, Saudi authorities arrested Al Hammami. A plane carrying passengers from the flight landed Wednesday evening in Israel.