Alleged flydubai attacker left Australia without finishing engineering course, university says
Australian university RMIT has confirmed that a co-pilot accused of a mid-air stabbing on a flydubai flight was a former student. Authorities are currently investigating the man's time in Australia between 2015 and 2017.
Why it matters
The incident highlights international security concerns regarding the background and radicalization of aviation personnel.
The flydubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the pilot on a flight to Tel Aviv, studied at RMIT in Melbourne, Australia. The flydubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the pilot on a flight to Tel Aviv, studied at RMIT in Melbourne, Australia. Flydubai plane incident Alleged flydubai attacker left Australia without finishing engineering course, university says RMIT confirms co-pilot was a student as Australian authorities examine his time in country between 2015 and 2017
Prefer the Guardian on Google An Australian university has confirmed a flydubai co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack an Israel-bound flight studied at its Melbourne campus, but left before completing his qualification.
Disaster was narrowly averted on 30 September when passengers and crew intervened to stop the alleged attempt of the co-pilot, identified by media outlets as Hammam al-Hammami, to take control of a flight to Tel Aviv with 182 people onboard.
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