Australia probes Hamam al-Hammami's study claims after flydubai hijack attempt
Australia is investigating whether Hamam al-Hammami, the co-pilot accused of trying to hijack a flydubai flight on Wednesday, actually studied in the country.
On Wednesday morning, al-Hammami reportedly attacked the pilot midflight with an ax on a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv route.
Thankfully, passengers stepped in and managed to subdue him, leading to a safe emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Hammami studied in Australia, extremism concerns
Al-Hammami, 29, and originally from Oman, spent several years in Australia as a student but had his visa canceled after skipping classes. He did eventually graduate from the University of Technology Sydney with an aviation management degree.
Authorities think his radical views may be tied to time spent in Syria; he was even removed from flying duties at Oman Air over extremism concerns.
Now, both Australia and international agencies are digging into how someone like him ended up as a commercial pilot, and what can be done to prevent similar incidents going forward.