New details in the investigation of the attempted attack by a Flydubai co-pilot on a flight to Israel point to Australia: according to an investigation published by the New York Times, the suspect studied at an academic institution in Melbourne from 2015 to 2017, and during his time in the country came into contact with people connected to a Muslim centre that also serves as a mosque.
Australian authorities have opened an investigation into his time in the country, and the affair is already sparking political controversy over immigration, student visas and funding of Muslim institutions.
The suspect, a 29-year-old Omani national named Hamam al-Hamami, is being held in custody in the United Arab Emirates. He is accused of attacking the captain during a flight bound for Israel last month, in an attempt apparently intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport.
Radicalisation began in Australia
The UAE Attorney General, Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, said that according to the investigation's findings, al-Hamami's radicalisation process began during his studies in Australia. According to him, the suspect was exposed there to ideas that led him to plan an attack inspired by the 11 September attacks in the United States. He further claimed that the suspect chose a career in aviation in order to carry out his plan.
UAE authorities said tal-Hamami studied at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and during that period met people connected to an institution called My Centre, a Muslim youth center in the Melbourne suburbs that also serves as a mosque.
The center is run by Samir Mohtadi, also known as Abu Hamza. According to the Attorney General, the suspect mentioned Mohtadi in his interrogation as the mosque's leader.
