Flydubai hijacking suspect’s Melbourne link

The co-pilot accused of attempting to hijack a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv last week studied in Melbourne, and Australian counter-terrorism investigators are examining whether he was radicalised here.

Hamam al-Hammami, 29, an Omani national, was enrolled in a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at RMIT University between 2015 and 2017 and did not complete the degree, The Australian reported.

In a confidential update to the university’s leadership obtained by The Australian, acting vice-chancellor Catherine Itsiopoulos confirmed RMIT was working with the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO.

“RMIT has been collaborating with the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team with their investigation and importantly, there is no security threat to RMIT,” she wrote.

Investigators are examining whether al-Hammami established extremist contacts or began his radicalisation during his two years in Melbourne. New Zealand police are separately looking into time he spent there, assistant commissioner Michael Johnson told the paper.