Australian authorities are investigating the Flydubai attacker’s ties to the country, as recriminations between various governments escalate after the attempted hijacking of a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv last week. The Victoria Joint Counter Terrorism Team “can confirm it is investigating the man’s links to Australia”, a police spokesperson said.
On Wednesday, the co-pilot of flight 1073 used an axe to attack the pilot while the plane was in the air. The attacker was overpowered by passengers, who were mostly Israelis, and the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia. Media reports have identified the co-pilot as Hamam al-Hammami, which was confirmed by a person familiar with the matter.
The co-pilot previously studied in Australia and allegedly visited radical mosques and extremist websites while there, according to two people familiar with the investigation. The country’s intelligence services held a “file” on the individual. He is currently being held under investigation in the United Arab Emirates, which has jurisdiction over the flight.
The revelations have fuelled growing recriminations between countries over who is to blame for security failures. The co-pilot had previously been banned from flying by Oman over concerns that he had been radicalised. Emirati authorities are disappointed with Omani and Australian authorities for failing to share intelligence on the co-pilot before the attack took place.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing