Police Say Man Spent Six Months in New Zealand on Student Visa From November 2018.
The Flydubai co-pilot accused of stabbing the flight’s captain in an alleged attempt to crash an aircraft last week spent several months in New Zealand seven years ago, where he completed part of his flight training for a UK-based company, New Zealand police said on Tuesday.
According to police, the man stayed in New Zealand between November 2018 and May 2019 while holding a six-month student visa.
New Zealand Assistant Commissioner Michael Johnson said in a statement emailed to Reuters that immigration records showed the co-pilot arrived in the country on November 30, 2018, and departed on May 23, 2019.
Johnson also confirmed that the man had travelled to New Zealand to complete a portion of his aviation training for a UK-based company that is no longer operating in the country.
New Zealand police said they are reviewing available records and carrying out further enquiries into the co-pilot’s time in the country.
The co-pilot was serving aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Israel, when he allegedly attacked the captain with an emergency crash axe. The UAE Attorney-General has described the incident as a “terrorist attack”.
UAE authorities and Flydubai have not publicly identified the co-pilot.
Meanwhile, a multi-agency counterterrorism unit in Australia is also investigating the man’s connections to the country.
