UAE claims accused Flydubai co-pilot was radicalised in Melbourne

The UAE’s attorney-general said Hamam al-Hammami, accused of trying to hijack and crash a Flydubai passenger jet bound for Israel, began drifting toward extremism while studying in Melbourne nearly a decade ago. In a statement, Hamad Saif al Shamsi said al-Hammami gave a “detailed confession” after his arrest connected to a plot dated Sept. 30. The prosecutor said the signs of radicalization emerged in 2017 during his time in Australia, when he encountered people linked to an Islamic center and was influenced by “Takfiri” ideology through extremist reading and online content glorifying terrorist organizations and suicide attacks. Al Shamsi also cited inspiration from Sept. 11, 2001, and the idea of using an aircraft for a similar operation. The Emirates News Agency reported al-Hammami regularly attended a mosque affiliated with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and that he had trained psychologically and physically, including boxing under a private coach. He allegedly planned to crash Flydubai Flight 1073 into Ben Gurion Airport, using a crash axe to wound Captain Smit Machchhar, and the plane reportedly dropped 14,000 feet in 29 seconds as passengers and crew fought to regain control. Authorities praised Machchhar for saving the 172 onboard.