RismadarVoice Reporters
October 4, 2026
Australian counterterrorism authorities have opened an investigation into the Australian connections of a flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking the captain and attempting to take control of a passenger aircraft bound for Israel.
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprising federal and state police alongside Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, is examining the man’s previous links to the country.
The investigation follows an incident aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Israel with more than 170 passengers and crew on board.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack and said the co-pilot attacked the captain before attempting to take control of the aircraft.
The aircraft experienced a rapid loss of altitude during the incident before control was restored. It later landed safely at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
A reserve flydubai pilot who was travelling on the aircraft reportedly took control and completed the emergency landing.
The co-pilot was detained by Saudi authorities before being transferred to the UAE, where he remains in custody.
UAE authorities have not publicly announced formal charges against him, while his identity has also not been officially disclosed by flydubai.
However, people familiar with the investigation have said the co-pilot previously studied in Melbourne, prompting Australian authorities to examine his activities and associations while he was in the country.
Separate reports have alleged that investigators are examining whether he had links to extremist influences during his time in Australia. Australian authorities have not publicly confirmed those claims.
Most of the passengers aboard the flight were Israeli nationals.
Israeli officials have alleged that the incident was an attempt to bring down the aircraft, while the UAE prosecutor said the co-pilot attempted to seize control of the plane.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also alleged that the co-pilot had been exposed to extremist indoctrination, although details supporting that claim have not been publicly established.
Netanyahu has ordered Israel’s National Security Council to conduct a broader review of security arrangements surrounding foreign civilian flights entering the country.
Questions have also emerged over how the co-pilot was assigned to a flight bound for Israel, given reports that he is an Omani national and the absence of formal diplomatic relations between Oman and Israel.
Investigations remain ongoing in Australia and the UAE as authorities seek to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and the co-pilot’s background.
