Israeli officials allege flydubai co-pilot planned terror attack

An Omani national employed as a co-pilot for flydubai has reportedly confessed to investigators in the United Arab Emirates that he intended to crash an aircraft before he was even hired by the airline. The individual, identified as Hamam al-Hammami, is accused of stabbing his captain during a flight last week in an alleged attempt to bring down the plane.

According to information provided by officials familiar with the investigation, al-Hammami specifically planned to crash the flight into Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. Investigators believe the co-pilot had previously operated a flight to Tel Aviv earlier this year with the intention of hijacking and crashing the aircraft, though he ultimately abandoned that plan. It remains unclear why he chose not to proceed during that earlier flight, though reports suggest he may have known an individual who was on board at the time.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing, involving authorities in the United Arab Emirates. Neither flydubai nor government officials from the UAE or Israel have provided public comments regarding the specific details of the probe.

In Australia, RMIT University has confirmed that al-Hammami was enrolled as a student between 2015 and 2017. He was pursuing an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering but did not complete the program.

Following the reports, the university has been cooperating with the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team regarding their inquiries. In a confidential communication to the institution's leadership, the acting vice-chancellor stated that the university is assisting authorities and emphasized that there is no security threat to the campus.