UAE Alleges Flydubai Co-Pilot's Extremist Turn Began in Australia

The co-pilot of a Flydubai flight who allegedly attempted to hijack the aircraft began a "drift towards extremism and terrorism" in 2017 while studying in Australia, according to the United Arab Emirates' attorney-general.

Interrogations of the 29-year-old pilot revealed he was inspired by al-Qaeda's 2001 attacks in the U.S. and was influenced by radical ideology through reading extremist literature and following online content that glorified terrorist organizations and suicide attacks. The findings indicated that signs of this drift first emerged while he was studying in Australia, the attorney-general stated, as reported by the UAE's state news agency Wam.

The pilot reportedly told investigators he had prepared himself psychologically and physically for the plot by intensifying his exposure to material promoting terrorism and training in boxing with a private coach. He admitted to acting alone, though investigations are ongoing to verify this claim, according to Wam.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the individual was issued an Australian student visa in 2014 and studied in the country between 2015 and 2017 before leaving. Tweets from the pilot's now-deleted X account referred to his five years spent studying abroad in Australia, Britain, and New Zealand as "the golden years of my religious commitment."

The incident occurred on September 30, with over 170 passengers and crew aboard flight FZ1073. Following the event, Australian authorities confirmed they were investigating the man's links to Australia. The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprising the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police, and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, is involved in this investigation.