New Zealand authorities have opened an investigation into the background of a flydubai co-pilot accused of attempting to seize control of an Israel-bound aircraft after it emerged that he underwent part of his flight training in the country.
New Zealand police said on Tuesday that Hamam al-Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani national, spent 175 days in the country on a student visa in 2018 and 2019.
The development adds New Zealand to a growing list of countries examining Hammami’s movements, associations and activities as investigators seek to establish what led to the alleged attack and whether he acted alone.
The alleged incident occurred on September 30 aboard a flight carrying 182 people to Tel Aviv. Passengers and crew reportedly intervened after Hammami allegedly attempted to take control of the aircraft.
According to the United Arab Emirates’ prosecutor general, Hammami allegedly used a crash axe during what authorities described as a “terrorist attack” and stabbed the pilot while the aircraft was in flight.
Israeli and other officials in the region have reportedly raised suspicions that Hammami may have contemplated carrying out a similar attack in July but postponed it.
Hammami’s Time in New Zealand
New Zealand Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Johnson confirmed that Hammami entered the country on November 30, 2018, and remained until May 23, 2019.
“Police can confirm the co-pilot was in New Zealand to complete a portion of his flight training for a UK-based company, no longer operating in New Zealand,” Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson said police were now examining Hammami’s time in New Zealand as part of the wider investigation.
Authorities are expected to examine his activities and associations during his stay, as well as the circumstances surrounding his flight training.
The investigation follows a similar probe in Australia, where security agencies began examining Hammami’s history after it emerged that he had spent about two years in the country as a student.
Australia Also Probes His Background
Hammami studied in Australia until 2017 before leaving the country without completing his engineering degree, according to RMIT University in Melbourne.
A now-deleted social media profile believed to have belonged to Hammami reportedly contained images of him during his time as a student, including a selfie with other teenagers at a food court in Melbourne’s central business district.
The UK-based Telegraph also reported on a post from a now-deleted X account believed to be linked to Hammami. The post reportedly described his years studying overseas as “the golden years of my religious commitment” and said he became less observant after returning to Oman.
The revelations have prompted calls for a closer examination of Hammami’s activities and associations while he was living abroad.
Australia’s Executive Council of Australian Jewry called for a comprehensive investigation into his connections in the country.
“We have seen over the years the availability of extremist literature in religious bookstores, the presence of preachers of hate and violence and the capacity for those living in Australia to fall under the sway of recruiters and nefarious street preachers,” the council’s co-chief executive, Alex Ryvchin, said in a statement.
He added:
“We have to understand who associated with this [alleged] terrorist, who influenced him and what vestiges of his murderous ideology remain.”
Pilot Describes Mid-Air Attack
The dramatic events aboard the aircraft have also emerged through an account from the flight’s captain, Smit Machchhar, who was injured during the alleged attack.
Machchhar, who had also undergone flight training in New Zealand, said that Hammami left his seat to pray shortly before the incident.
Machchhar told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call on Saturday that he suddenly felt a blow to the back of his head.
“The blows kept coming … That’s when I realised that it’s not the aircraft, it’s the other guy who was in the cockpit with me,” he said.
Despite being injured, Machchhar was reportedly able to unlock the cockpit security door, allowing passengers to enter and help overpower Hammami.
A reserve flydubai pilot who was travelling as a passenger then took control of the aircraft.
The flight was subsequently diverted and landed at a regional airport in north-western Saudi Arabia, where Saudi authorities detained Hammami.
The incident has since triggered investigations across several countries, with authorities seeking to reconstruct Hammami’s movements, identify any possible extremist connections and determine whether the alleged attack was planned independently or involved others.
The New Zealand investigation is expected to focus specifically on his time in the country and the flight training he received there before he went on to pursue a career in commercial aviation.