Flydubai hijack attempt: New Zealand probes suspect’s flight training

The situation

New Zealand officials are digging into the history of Hamam al-Hammami, the 29-year-old Omani co-pilot who allegedly attempted to hijack a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv on September 30. With 182 people on board, the situation was looking like a total L until passengers and crew stepped in to stop the attack. Authorities say Hammami allegedly used a crash axe and stabbed the captain mid-air, a move officials suspect may have been delayed from an original plan in July.

Following the trail

New Zealand Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Johnson confirmed that Hammami spent 175 days in the country on a student visa between late 2018 and mid-2019. He was there to wrap up flight training for a UK-based company that no longer operates locally. This follows revelations that Hammami previously spent two years in Australia studying engineering at RMIT University before dropping out in 2017.

International agencies are now scrambling to figure out if he had accomplices or if he was working solo. There is also new heat on his past associations; the Executive Council of Australian Jewry is demanding a deep dive into who Hammami was hanging out with while in Australia, citing concerns about extremist influence.

The cockpit chaos

Captain Smit Machchhar, who survived the attack, told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he initially thought the plane was having mechanical issues until he realized he was being struck from behind. Despite being injured, Machchhar managed to open the security door, allowing passengers to subdue the co-pilot. A reserve pilot on board successfully diverted the flight to Saudi Arabia, where Hammami was taken into custody. It’s giving main character energy in the absolute worst way.

Why it matters

Investigators are looking for the 'why' behind the attack, trying to determine how a commercial co-pilot turned violent and whether he was radicalized while living abroad. Real talk: the flight industry is now under intense pressure to re-evaluate how they vet personnel and monitor potential security threats.