Australian law enforcement agencies have launched an investigation into connections between the country and the co-pilot involved in an incident aboard a Flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The co-pilot is alleged to have attacked the aircraft’s captain with a crash axe approximately two and a half hours into the flight, which was carrying more than 170 passengers.
The Australian Federal Police confirmed it is examining the man’s links to Australia in cooperation with state police and the country’s security agency. According to sources familiar with the case, the co-pilot was issued a student visa in 2014 and studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017. His student visa was subsequently cancelled in 2019 when he was no longer enrolled in a course. Counter-terrorism officials are examining whether the individual may have been radicalized during his time in the country.
During the September 30 incident, the captain, identified as Capt Smit Machchhar, was injured during the attack but managed to regain control of the aircraft. Two reserve pilots aboard the flight successfully landed the plane in Saudi Arabia. The co-pilot was arrested following the emergency landing and is being questioned by Saudi authorities. The captain was hospitalized and later airlifted to Abu Dhabi, where he is reported to be in stable condition.
The United Arab Emirates prosecutor has characterized the incident as an attempted terrorist act and stated that investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances and motives. Additional reporting has revealed that the co-pilot was previously removed from flight training at Oman Air due to concerns about radical views. He later worked for Flydubai and was pursuing a distance-learning aviation management degree from a United Kingdom university, which he completed in 2023.
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