The FlyDubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed his captain in a bid to crash an Israel-bound plane underwent pilot training at one of the biggest flight schools in the UK, according to a report.
Hamam al-Hammami, 29, finished his training at L3 Airline Academy between 2018 and 2019, reported the Telegraph. The pilot training company has centres in England and has since become part of Acron Aviation, which said it was assisting investigators in their probe.
Police in New Zealand said on Tuesday that Mr Hammami was in New Zealand seven years ago to complete a portion of his flight training for a UK-based company, without naming the organisation.
“Immigration records show he arrived in New Zealand on 30 November 2018 and departed 23 May 2019," New Zealand Assistant Commissioner Michael Johnson said, reported Reuters.
"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," he added.
The Independent has contacted Acron Aviation for comment.
He was in the country using a six-month student visa, with police investigating how he spent his time during the period.
It comes as authorities around the world, including in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, tried to piece together Mr Hammami’s life before the alleged attack.
He was earlier enrolled at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University in Melbourne between 2015 and 2017, but failed to complete an engineering qualification.
According to the Telegraph, at the time when Mr Hammami was carrying out his pilot training in the UK, trainees were allowed to do their ground training in Southampton before travelling to New Zealand to attend flight school.
So far, American and Israeli officials briefed on the investigation said that 29-year-old Omani national likely acted as a “lone wolf” rather than as a member of an organisation or a government.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had claimed last week the pilot “underwent Islamist radical indoctrination”, with Israeli officials looking into his links with terrorist organisation.
While in Australia, the pilot allegedly visited extremist websites, reported the Financial Times, citing two sources familiar with the probe.
In the UK, Buckinghamshire New University previously confirmed that Mr Hammami had done a distance-learning course in aviation management at the institution.
Mr Hammami is accused of trying to hijack the 30 September flight by grabbing an emergency axe and slashing Smit Machchhar, the captain of the Flydubai aircraft, with the struggle sending the Boeing 737 Max into a sudden 17,000ft plunge.
Nina Manes, a six-year-old girl on her way to the toilet with her mother, were the first to raise the alarm when they heard shouting coming from the cockpit.
“There was blood all over the cockpit and very, very sharp fighting moves,” Nina’s mother, Tali Manes, told Israel’s Channel 12.
“I screamed, ‘He’s stabbing the pilot, he’s stabbing the pilot, come help!’ People looked at me and didn’t understand.”
Her husband, Tzvika Manes, said: “The shrieks of my daughters when the plane nose-dived [are still with me]. They said, ‘Dad we don’t want to die.’ [Their cries] were the triggers that caused me to run inside the cockpit.”
One passenger recorded the incident on his phone and later shared the footage to social media. With blood dripping down his face, he declared that the passengers had “subdued the terrorists”. “Whoever is hearing me, we need help,” he added.
UAE prosecutors said Capt Machchhar had been attacked by a “crash axe” – a tool kept in the cockpit in case of emergencies, bypassing stringent security protocols.
Despite sustaining severe injuries, Mr Machchhar said he was able to unlock the flight deck door, allowing passengers to force their way inside, subdue Mr Hammami, and stabilise the plane before making an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
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