TLDR
UAE prosecutors allege a 29-year-old Omani co-pilot began radicalising during engineering studies in Melbourne and attacked his captain with an emergency axe on a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight. A joint AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO team is investigating his time in Australia.
Attack on flight FZ1073
A 29-year-old Omani co-pilot attacked the captain of flydubai flight FZ1073 with an emergency axe on 30 September 2026, attempting to seize control of the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv aircraft before passengers, crew and a reserve pilot intervened to stop the attack and prevent him from taking control of the aircraft.[1] The captain unlocked the cockpit door during the struggle, allowing passengers on board the aircraft to rush into the cockpit and help subdue the attacker, after which the aircraft diverted to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia and landed safely.
UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said investigations found "the co-pilot attempted to carry out a terrorist act".[4] UAE Public Prosecution investigators described the plot as premeditated.
The Melbourne years
UAE Public Prosecution investigations traced signs of the co-pilot's drift towards extremism back to 2017, during engineering studies at RMIT University in Melbourne, where he is alleged to have consumed takfiri literature and online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks.[1] Prosecutors allege he drew direct inspiration for the alleged attack from the September 11, 2001 attacks.
RMIT confirmed the co-pilot was enrolled as an engineering student between 2015 and 2017 but did not complete his qualification before leaving the university. He held a student visa during that period.
Australian counterterrorism response
A multi-agency counterterrorism unit comprising the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is investigating the co-pilot's links to Australia, including his time on a student visa and potential radicalisation while in Melbourne.[2] An AFP spokesperson said: "A multi-agency counterterrorism team is investigating the man's links to Australia."
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO, routinely investigates indications that individuals on Australian visas may have links to extremist ideologies or groups.[2] No criminal charges have been laid in Australia in connection with the investigation.
Career path to the cockpit
The co-pilot worked at Oman Air from 2020 to 2024, completed a three-month theoretical training period at Royal Air Maroc in early 2025, and joined flydubai in January 2026, nine months before the alleged attack.[1] Flydubai operates Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and has flown between Dubai and Tel Aviv since 2020, after the UAE and Israel normalised relations.
Charges and custody
The co-pilot remains in UAE custody under counterterrorism laws while investigators continue to probe possible accomplices and wider connections.[3] UAE Public Prosecution has not disclosed a trial date, and the Australian multi-agency investigation into his student visa period and Melbourne associations continues.
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