Flydubai attack investigation widens as alleged hijacker’s training in New Zealand scrutinised

What Happened

On 30 September, flydubai co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani national, allegedly attempted to seize control of a Tel Aviv-bound flight carrying 182 people. The UAE prosecutor general said Hammami used a crash axe and stabbed the pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, mid-air; Machchhar said he felt a 'big blow' to the back of his head, then more blows, and unlocked the cockpit security door to allow passengers to overpower Hammami. A reserve flydubai pilot travelling on the flight took control and landed at a regional airport in north-western Saudi Arabia, where Saudi authorities detained Hammami. New Zealand police assistant commissioner Michael Johnson confirmed Hammami was in New Zealand on a student visa for 175 days, from 30 November 2018 to 23 May 2019, completing flight training for a UK-based company no longer operating in New Zealand, and said police are now investigating his time there. Australian security agencies have also opened an investigation because Hammami spent about two years in Australia as a student until 2017, leaving RMIT University in Melbourne without completing an engineering degree. Israeli and other regional officials suspect he originally planned such an attack in July, but postponed it.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The attempted hijacking of a commercial flight bound for Tel Aviv, with 182 people aboard, has triggered a multi-country investigation into aviation security and the suspected attacker's years in Australia and New Zealand. The alleged use of a crash axe mid-air and the wounding of the captain underscore a serious security breach; regional officials' suspicion that the attack was originally planned for July points to premeditation and possible wider intentions. Australia's peak Jewish body has called for scrutiny of Hammami's associations and radicalisation, framing the incident within broader concerns about extremist networks recruiting students abroad.

Watch For

Monitor the outcomes of the New Zealand and Australian investigations into Hammami's training, associates, and online activity; UAE prosecutors' charges or Saudi transfer proceedings; whether investigators establish that Hammami acted alone or with support; and any changes to flydubai or other carriers' cockpit security or vetting procedures. Israeli and regional officials may also clarify the reported July postponement and any prior intelligence about the suspect.