Hamami probe widens in Australia
Social media posts reportedly linked to the pilot are drawing scrutiny as investigators reconstruct his history
Australian authorities have opened an investigation into the time the Omani national accused of attempting to seize control of a flydubai passenger aircraft spent in the country.
Australian police told the media on Sunday that investigators were examining background and activities during of Hamam al-Hamami during his time in the country. The inquiry is being conducted in coordination with State police agencies and Australia’s national security authorities as officials work to establish his movements, associations and activities while he was living there.
A key question for counterterrorism investigators is whether Hamami was exposed to extremist ideology or underwent a process of radicalisation during his years in Australia, according to ABC.
Hamami entered Australia on a student visa in 2014 and studied there between 2015 and 2017, according to reports. Authorities later canceled his visa in 2019 after determining that he was no longer engaged in active studies and had not complied with the conditions attached to his stay.
His previous connection to Australia has attracted renewed international scrutiny following the incident involving the flydubai aircraft on September 30. Hamami was arrested after the plane made an emergency landing and remains in the custody of Saudi authorities, where he is being questioned.
The United Arab Emirates’ attorney-general said Saturday that the incident was an attempted terrorist attack. International media organisations have identified Hamami as the aircraft’s copilot. Reports in US media have also raised questions about his professional history, including claims that he was previously removed from flight training with Oman Air following concerns over extremist views. Despite those reported concerns, he subsequently returned to aviation and eventually became a commercial pilot.
Hamami’s online activity is also emerging as a major focus of the investigation.
According to the investigation, more than 2,000 posts made between November 2021 and August 2022 on a social media account reportedly connected to him. The account used the name Pilot Hamam al-Hamami and described its owner as a civilian pilot from Muscat, while including biographical information consistent with Hamami’s known identity.
The posts reportedly contained repeated expressions of support for violence, including violent and degrading statements directed at women and homophobic rhetoric.
In one exchange, he threatened severe violence against a woman and described using her as an example to intimidate others. In another discussion concerning domestic violence, he compared an assault on a woman with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, portraying violence as a means of forcing another party to accept new boundaries.
The reported online activity is likely to face closer examination as Australian and international investigators attempt to reconstruct Hamami’s ideological development, personal associations and professional history.
Netanyahu hails Captain Smit
New Delhi: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday spoke over the phone to Indian pilot Smit Machchhar and called him a “hero of the entire world” for foiling an alleged attempt by the co-pilot to crash an Israel-bound flight. During the call, he invited Captain Machchhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light the ceremonial flame at Israel’s Independence Day ceremony.
“It’s our highest honour that we give on our Independence Day. It’s usually reserved for Israeli citizens, but I think here in this case, all the citizens of Israel will embrace you. They do now, and they will then too. So we hope to see you very soon in Israel,” Netanyahu told Machchhar over the phone on Saturday.
The Israeli PM’s Office later posted on X that Netanyahu had invited both PM Modi and Machchhar to light a flame at the Independence Day ceremony.
“You are a hero for Israel, India, and the entire world. I invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi and you to light a flame on Israeli Independence Day,” the post said.
During the conversation, the 38-year-old pilot recounted how he was allegedly attacked by his co-pilot inside the cockpit and shared details of the incident.
Machchhar said the co-pilot had wanted to pray before the alleged attack. Out of respect, he said, he looked towards the front of the cockpit while the co-pilot prayed.
“While he was praying, out of respect, I was just looking at the front and not at the back, and suddenly, after, I would say about four-five minutes, there was a big blow to the back of my head,” Machchhar said.
“My first thought was that there was catastrophic damage to the aircraft and something was not right. But then after that, the blows kept coming one after the other, and that’s when I realised that it’s not the aircraft, it’s the other guy who was in the cockpit with me,” he added.
The incident occurred on Wednesday aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, which was carrying 174 passengers and was bound for Israel.
According to reports, the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar with a crash axe, an emergency tool kept inside the cockpit, and attempted to take control of the aircraft.
The aircraft transmitted emergency signals and then made a rapid descent of more than 17,000 feet from around 34,000 feet before making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Reports said the severity of the descent resulted in damage to part of the aircraft’s rudder.
The co-pilot was identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, according to people familiar with the matter.
Machchhar received initial treatment in Tabuk before being shifted to Abu Dhabi for further medical care.
