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Flydubai attack investigation widens as alleged hijacker’s training in New Zealand scrutinised

Read the original at The Guardian ↗
Cite

Auckland, E. C. i., & Melbourne, A. O. i. (2026, October 7). Flydubai attack investigation widens as alleged hijacker’s training in New Zealand scrutinised. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/07/flydubai-attack-investigation-widens-as-alleged-hijackers-training-in-new-zealand-scrutinised-ntwnfb

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Guardian · collected 2026-10-07 · by Eva Corlett in Auckland, Adeshola Ore in Melbourne

Quick Summary

New Zealand police have begun investigating the flight training received by flydubai co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, who allegedly attempted to hijack an Israeli-bound plane in September. Hammami was trained in New Zealand for about five months in 2018-2019 and previously studied engineering in Australia until 2017 without completing his degree. Authorities are examining his activities and associations in both countries as they try to determine the motivations behind the hijacking attempt, which involved stabbing the pilot mid-flight and using a crash axe.
Written by AI on 2026-10-07, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv signaled an emergency and was diverted to land at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. The incident initially raised concerns about a possible hijacking, prompting Israel to scramble warplanes. However, Israeli officials later reported that the emergency signals were due to a physical altercation between the plane's two pilots rather than a hijacking attempt.

The flight, identified as Flydubai Flight FZ1073, transmitted multiple emergency alerts after takeoff and over Jordanian airspace before landing safely in Saudi Arabia. Passengers on board managed to overpower the attacker, who was later identified by UAE officials as Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami. Al-Hammami allegedly attempted to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's airport but was stopped by passengers.

UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi stated that signs of al-Hammami’s radicalization first emerged in 2017 while he was studying engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. He reportedly became influenced by extremist literature and online content glorifying terrorist organizations during this period.

Written for “Flydubai Hijacker's Radicalization Path” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 345 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Flydubai Hijacker's Radicalization Path
Crime & Law · 346 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 16% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Flydubai 'hijacker' who stabbed co-pilot 'planned to crash aircraft into Ben Gurion airport', UAE claims Same event
Daily Mail
Hedges 5 of 46 claims Outlet record 68/100
Flydubai co-pilot was inspired by 9/11 when he planned to crash into Israeli airport terminal: officials Same event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 9 claims Outlet record 66/100
Flydubai co-pilot planned suicide attack in Tel Aviv airport inspired by 9/11 Same event
Euronews
Hedges 2 of 9 claims Outlet record 60/100
FlyDubai co-pilot planned to crash flight into Ben Gurion Airport, UAE says Same event
The Independent
Hedges 1 of 21 claims Outlet record 59/100
FlyDubai co-pilot sought to crash plane into Tel Aviv's main airport: UAE Same event
CBC News
Hedges 1 of 14 claims Outlet record 60/100
‘Concerning’: Accused flydubai hijacker’s Victorian links under investigation Same event
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 5 of 17 claims Outlet record 61/100
FACT FOCUS: What's known about the FlyDubai attack probe and the red flags about the suspect Same event
Toronto Star
Hedges 10 of 37 claims Outlet record 64/100
U.A.E. says co-pilot on FlyDubai plane that nearly crashed attacked captain with cockpit's crash axe Same event
CBC News
Hedges 1 of 25 claims Outlet record 60/100
From India to Australia: How 6 countries got caught up in flydubai terror Same event
Times of India
Hedges 4 of 53 claims Outlet record 59/100
Australia police investigate FlyDubai co-pilot's links to the country Different event
The Independent
Hedges 5 of 23 claims Outlet record 59/100
“The articles discuss related investigations but cover different aspects of the incident timeline and geographical focus, indicating they are not describing the exact same occurrence.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
16%
3 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
346
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-07 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Eva Corlett in Auckland
1 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The New Zealand police assistant commissioner, Michael Johnson, on Tuesday confirmed the man was in the country on a student visa for 175 days, from 30 November 2018 to 23 May 2019.
2026-10-07 · assertive framing · Flydubai attack investigation widens as alleged hijacker’s training in New Zealand scrutinised
The only article under this byline in the corpus.
Adeshola Ore in Melbourne
2 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The promise to the passengers of the MV Odyssey cruise ship – many approaching the autumn of their lives – was that on the open seas they could cut loose from the troubles of the world.
2026-10-31 · assertive framing · The cursed cruise: how the dream of never-ending luxury at sea became a nightmare
🔮 The New Zealand police assistant commissioner, Michael Johnson, on Tuesday confirmed the man was in the country on a student visa for 175 days, from 30 November 2018 to 23 May 2019.
2026-10-07 · assertive framing · Flydubai attack investigation widens as alleged hijacker’s training in New Zealand scrutinised
Also by Adeshola Ore in Melbourne
The cursed cruise: how the dream of never-ending luxury at sea became a nightmare
2026-10-31 · The Guardian
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Australia Israel Melbourne New Zealand flydubai

Subjects

Hammami PERSON · 8× New Zealand GPE · 6× Australia GPE · 3× Israel GPE · 2× Johnson PERSON · 2× Machchhar PERSON · 2× Melbourne GPE · 2× Hamam al-Hammami PERSON · 1× Omani NORP · 1× Tel Aviv GPE · 1×

Narrative

“We have seen over the years the availability of extremist literature in religious bookstores, the presence of preachers of hate and violence and the capacity for those living in Australia to fall under the sway of recruiters and nefarious street preachers,” the council’s co-chief executive, Alex Ryvchin,
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-07
🔮 The New Zealand police assistant commissioner, Michael Johnson, on Tuesday confirmed the man was in the country on a student visa for 175 days, from 30 November 2018 to 23 May 2019.
2026-10-07 · The Guardian
Flydubai attack investigation widens as alleged hijacker’s training in New Zealand scrutinised · assertive framing

Claims (19 extracted, 3 hedged)

New Zealand authorities have launched their own investigation into the flydubai co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack an Israel-bound plane, after police confirmed he underwent flight training there about a year after he abandoned a degree in Australia. uncertain
he → launch → Australia
Disaster was narrowly averted on 30 September when passengers and crew intervened to stop the alleged attempt of the co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, 29, to take control of a flight to Tel Aviv with 182 people onboard. asserted
passengers → avert → people
Hammami, an Omani national, had allegedly used a crash axe in the attempted “terrorist attack”, in which the pilot was stabbed mid-air, the United Arab Emirates’ prosecutor general said. uncertain
general → use → which
Israeli and other officials in the region suspect he originally planned for such an attack in July, but postponed it. asserted
he → suspect → it
The New Zealand police assistant commissioner, Michael Johnson, on Tuesday confirmed the man was in the country on a student visa for 175 days, from 30 November 2018 to 23 May 2019. uncertain
man → confirm → May
“Police can confirm the co-pilot was in New Zealand to complete a portion of his flight training for a UK-based company, no longer operating in New Zealand,” Johnson said in a statement The police are now investigating his time in the country, Johnson said. asserted
Johnson → confirm → country
New Zealand joins multiple countries scrambling to piece together the background of Hammami and his intentions, as well as to establish if he acted alone. asserted
he → join → Hammami
Over the weekend, Australian security agencies launched an investigation after it emerged Hammami spent about two years in the country as a student until 2017. asserted
Hammami → launch → 2017
He left the country without completing his engineering degree, RMIT University in Melbourne confirmed. asserted
University → leave → Melbourne
On a now deleted social media profile believed to belong to Hammami, the then student appears in a selfie with other teenagers in a shopping centre food court in Melbourne’s CBD. asserted
student → delete → CBD
The UK’s Telegraph reported on a post on a now deleted X account that appears to be linked to Hammami that described his years studying overseas as “the golden years of my religious commitment”, and claimed he became less observant when he returned to Oman. asserted
he → report → Oman
On Wednesday, Australia’s peak Jewish body, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, called for a thorough investigation of Hammami’s associations in the country. asserted
body → call → country
“We have seen over the years the availability of extremist literature in religious bookstores, the presence of preachers of hate and violence and the capacity for those living in Australia to fall under the sway of recruiters and nefarious street preachers,” the council’s co-chief executive, Alex Ryvchin, asserted
those → see → recruiters
“We have to understand who associated with this [alleged] terrorist, who influenced him and what vestiges of his murderous ideology remain.” asserted
vestiges → have → ideology
The flight’s captain, Smit Machchhar, who also trained in New Zealand for a time, said on Saturday that shortly after Hammami had left his seat to pray, he felt a “big blow” to the back of his head. asserted
he → train → head
In a phone call on Saturday with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Machchhar said: “The blows kept coming … asserted
blows → say → minister
That’s when I realised that it’s not the aircraft, it’s the other guy who was in the cockpit with me. asserted
who → ’ → me
Despite his injuries Machchhar was able to unlock the cockpit’s security door to allow passengers to overpower Hammami. asserted
passengers → unlock → Hammami
A reserve flydubai pilot travelling on the flight took control of the aircraft and landed it at a regional airport in north-western Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was detained by Saudi authorities. asserted
pilot → travel → authorities
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