'Co-pilot planned attack before joining Flydubai'

The Flydubai co-pilot who stabbed his captain in a suspected attempt to crash the plane has told UAE interrogators he planned the attack before he was hired by the Dubai state-owned airline, according to two Israeli officials with knowledge of the probe.

A third source briefed on the UAE probe said the co-pilot, an Omani national, had planned to crash last Wednesday's flight into Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv. He had also operated a flight to Tel Aviv earlier this year and intended to hijack and crash the plane then, but opted not to, the source added.

It was not immediately clear why the co-pilot changed his mind on that previous flight, although the co-pilot is thought to have known someone onboard, the source said. All of the sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the investigation. UAE and Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Flydubai.


The co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073, which had been bound for Israel from Dubai, attacked the pilot with an emergency crash axe, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general has said, calling the incident a "terrorist attack".

Also read | FlyDubai attack: Oman wasn't consulted on attacker pilot Hamam

Two sources have said the co-pilot is an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami. Israeli officials have not named the co-pilot but have said he is from Oman. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the co-pilot's identity.

AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND LINKS

The co-pilot had been enrolled at RMIT University in Melbourne but failed to finish an engineering qualification, the university said in a statement Monday.

His years in Australia have become a focal point as investigators examine whether his time there contributed to his radicalisation.

RMIT said it was "aware of media reporting of a former student alleged to be involved in the Flydubai flight incident," adding it was unable to comment further as investigations continue. The university is one of Australia's oldest tertiary institutions.

Investigators are looking into al-Hammami's alleged visits to radical mosques and extremist websites during his time in Australia, the FT reported Sunday.

Al-Hammami's alleged interest in extremist content from his student daysadds more context to his career. He was dismissed by Oman Air over concerns about his radical views, yet still managed to secure a position at FlyDubai, a sister airline of Emirates.

New Zealand Assistant Police Commissioner Michael Johnson said on Monday that the co-pilot had spent time in the country and that NZ police were looking into the period.