Flydubai hijack suspect 'taught to fly in the UK' as bombshell new details emerge

Flydubai hijack suspect 'taught to fly in the UK' as bombshell new details emerge It has been revealed that the alleged Flydubai hijacker, Hamam al-Hammami, attended a UK flight school in what he labelled "the golden years of my religious commitment" The alleged Flydubai hijacker received pilot training at a flight school in the UK, according to new reports. Hamam al-Hammami, 29, is the pilot accused of attempting to crash a plane destined for Israel in a terror plot similar to 9/11. It has now been revealed that he was a student at one of the UK's largest flight schools between 2018 and 2019, as reported by The Telegraph. It is believed he trained with L3 Airline Academy, a pilot-training firm with centres in England that has since merged into Acron Aviation, according to The Telegraph. The company has major training facilities in Southampton and Bournemouth, as well as a simulator centre near Gatwick and it is believed Hammami trained at at least one of these. Following Wednesday's horrific incident the suspected hijacker is currently detained in Abu Dhabi. The co-pilot stands accused of assaulting the plane's pilot with an axe before brave crew members and passengers intervened in what authorities have said was an attempted jihadist terror attack. Israeli reports suggest Hammami planned to take control of the aircraft and crash it into a target in Tel Aviv, in a scheme similar to that of the September 11 attacks. The training school L3 Airline Academy and its successor companies are not believed to be linked to any wrongdoing and are cooperating with authorities. Hammami also underwent some training in New Zealand. New Zealand authorities confirmed on Tuesday that Hammami had been issued a six-month student visa to complete flight training there between November 2018 and May 2019 "for a UK-based company no longer operating in New Zealand". Throughout this period, L3 Airline Academy delivered a training programme at a flying school in Hamilton. A now-deleted social media account thought to belong to Hammami, using the handle @PilotHamam and the name "Hamam Al Hammami", chronicled his training and experiences in Britain. Posts on the Twitter account also referenced women being "stomped on" and receiving a "pre-emptive slap". The account shared in 2022 he had "studied in Australia, Britain and New Zealand for five years". The same post detailed his overseas study period as "the golden years of my religious commitment" while noting he became less devout upon returning to Oman. Following the incident, reports emerged that Oman Air had withdrawn Hammami from flight training due to worries about his extremist beliefs, subsequently moving him to a different position. Acron Aviation refused to provide comment regarding Hammami's enrolment. A representative did however say: "We were saddened to hear of this incident, and our thoughts are with everyone affected. As a matter of policy, we do not publicly comment on whether any individual is or has been a student with us. "We will, of course, assist the relevant authorities, if necessary, in any way we can as they investigate this incident."