Flydubai attack inquiry puts accused co-pilot's Melbourne years under scrutiny

A new Sydney Morning Herald report examines the Melbourne years of Hammam al-Hammami, the co-pilot accused of attacking flydubai Flight FZ1073. UAE authorities link that period to the development of extremist views, while Australian investigators are examining his time in the country.

Emirates News Agency reported on October 9, citing UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, that the 29-year-old Omani suspect had confessed to a premeditated plan to seize the aircraft and target the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. The investigation is continuing, and the published findings are the prosecution's account.

Prosecutors say al-Hammami acted alone, drew inspiration from the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and had flown the route twice previously to familiarise himself with it and the airport. They also say he trained in boxing with a private coach and consumed material promoting terrorism.

Al-Hammami lived in Melbourne from 2015 to 2017 while studying mechanical engineering at RMIT University. UAE authorities date the first signs of radicalisation to 2017 and attribute them to extremist reading and online content. The Sydney Morning Herald said recovered posts described his decision to leave university for work and included misogynistic and homophobic abuse.

In the UAE account, the suspect described attending a mosque associated with RMIT and meeting people connected to MyCentre in Broadmeadows. He also made allegations about support for the centre from an organisation linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. His statements do not establish the centre's responsibility for the attack.

MyCentre's website identifies Samir Mohtadi, also known as Abu Hamza, as its community leader. The newspaper sought his comment on Saturday and explicitly said it was not alleging that he had intentionally taught the suspect to engage in violence or terrorism.

The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team announced the previous Sunday that it was examining al-Hammami's time in Australia. The Financial Times reported that Australian intelligence had opened a file on him. A senior national security source disputed that account to the Sydney Morning Herald, saying a database mention or association with someone else did not amount to a serious ASIO investigation.

Flight FZ1073 left Dubai for Tel Aviv on September 30. Al-Hammami is accused of attacking Captain Smit Machchhar in the cockpit. The aircraft lost more than 4,000 metres of altitude in under 30 seconds before crew, passengers and another pilot aboard subdued the attacker and stabilised the flight.

According to Emirates News Agency, the captain assigned to the return flight noticed the cockpit door repeatedly opening and closing, entered using an access code and witnessed the assault. He and his co-pilot landed the aircraft at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Hammami worked for Oman Air from 2020 to 2024, joined Royal Air Maroc in early 2025 and moved to flydubai in January 2026. UAE investigators said recruitment checks confirmed his licence, good-conduct certificate and required screenings but did not reveal the alleged plot. Authorities said his confession was taken with a lawyer present and prescribed legal safeguards.

Deakin University extremism specialist Josh Roose urged closer Australian scrutiny of extremist influence online. Speaking to the newspaper, he proposed examining organisations' links to the International Union of Muslim Scholars, founded by Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, and debating possible restrictions. That was his recommendation rather than an announced government measure.

Roose also linked difficulties in responding to hate speech to a political dispute over federal reforms. In February, the government abandoned its strongest provisions after failing to secure opposition or Greens support. Those policy assessments are separate from the findings of the investigation into the aircraft attack.