Israeli probe finds FlyDubai co-pilot acted as 'lone wolf' in attack

Ongoing preliminary probe launched by Israeli security agencies finds the co-pilot who attacked the captain of a Tel Aviv-bound flight last week acted as a "lone wolf" while Australian authorities are investigating his possible ties to the country.

Footage shows passengers inside FlyDubai flight FZ 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv during the stabbing incident.

The United Arab Emirates, which is leading the investigation, says the Omani co-pilot, identified as 29-year-old Hammam al-Hammami, hit the Indian captain with the cockpit's crash axe and attempted to take control of the plane carrying 182 people in a "terrorist attack."

The disaster was averted as the pilot managed to open the cockpit door to allow passengers and others to enter and subdue him.

The aircraft made an emergency landing in the Saudi city of Tabuk last Wednesday.

People familiar with the situation say Hammami was banned from flying in Oman due to his extremist views before he landed a job with FlyDubai, but it's unclear what vetting procedures that he underwent and how he was in the flight.

This is because Israel has agreements with foreign carriers to keep pilots of nations without diplomatic ties, including Oman, from flying there.

A separate probe by an Italian newspaper alleges on Sunday the co-pilot had plans to kill the captain and crash the plane into skyscrapers in Tel Aviv.

The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team is also looking into Hammami's possible links to Australia where sources indicate he went on a student visa to study at a university there a decade ago.

The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology confirms the co-pilot had been enrolled for a time but failed to complete an engineering qualification.

In addition, Emirati authorities have shared with Israel information about a list of passengers and crews including their names and nationalities ahead of the FlyDubai flight, according to regional officials, but Israel had not raised any red flags.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a comprehensive review of security arrangements concerning foreign flights to Israel, his office says in a statement.