Australian counter-terrorism authorities are investigating the Australian connections of the flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of a Tel Aviv-bound flight with an emergency axe, police said on Sunday.

The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, which brings together the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, confirmed it was examining the man’s links to the country.

“The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team … can confirm it is investigating the man's links to Australia,” an AFP spokesperson said, adding that an update would be provided “at an appropriate time”. 

Two people briefed on the investigation told Reuters that the co-pilot had studied at a university in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria. Australian media have reported that he attended RMIT University, which declined to comment to Reuters. 

Sources cited by ABC News said he was issued an Australian student visa in 2014 and studied in the country between 2015 and 2017. His visa was later cancelled in 2019, according to the report. 

Two sources with knowledge of the investigation identified the co-pilot to Reuters as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national. Emirati authorities have not publicly confirmed his identity, and Oman has not commented on the case. 

The Financial Times reported that al-Hammami allegedly visited mosques associated with radical preaching and extremist websites while in Australia, citing two people familiar with the investigation. It also reported that Australian intelligence agencies had maintained a file on him. Reuters said it had not independently verified those claims. 

The Australian investigation follows a statement from UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, who said the co-pilot of flight FZ1073 had attempted to carry out what Emirati authorities described as a “terrorist act”.

According to the UAE investigation, the co-pilot attacked the captain inside the cockpit with a crash axe and attempted to seize the aircraft’s controls. Prosecutors said they were continuing to investigate the circumstances, motive and any possible links connected to the incident.

Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September when the attack took place. Passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot, while other pilots travelling aboard the aircraft took control and landed safely at Tabuk airport in north-western Saudi Arabia. More than 170 passengers and crew were aboard.

Flight-tracking data cited by Reuters showed the Boeing 737 MAX 8 descended more than 16,000 feet in roughly 30 seconds during the incident. 

Flydubai has said a full investigation is under way and has declined to comment further on the circumstances while inquiries continue. The UAE investigation is examining the suspect’s motive, digital and physical evidence and whether anyone else was involved.