Australian authorities have opened an investigation into an Omani FlyDubai co-pilot’s time in the country after he was detained over an alleged attempt to hijack an Israel-bound aircraft and crash it.
Elsewhere, Israel has barred the leader of the U.K. Green Party from entering the country, while foreign and defense ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have met in Riyadh for trilateral security talks.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Monday. Full coverage is available here.
Australia and New Zealand investigate FlyDubai co-pilot’s time in both countries
Australian security agencies are examining the Omani pilot’s activities in Australia roughly a decade ago, the Australian Federal Police said.
The FlyDubai co-pilot is being held in the United Arab Emirates after allegedly trying to take control of the Israel-bound aircraft.
In a statement issued Monday, Australian police said a joint counterterrorism team—comprising federal and state police as well as the country’s domestic intelligence agency—“is investigating the man’s links to Australia.”
New Zealand police also confirmed that the co-pilot had spent time in New Zealand and said authorities there would conduct their own investigation.
News reports said he received an Australian student visa in 2014 and arrived the following year to begin a university course. He left Australia in 2017, and authorities canceled his visa in 2019 after confirming that he was no longer enrolled, according to the reports.
Israel bars U.K. Green Party leader after party votes to define Zionism as racism
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said late Sunday that he was barring Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering Israel, calling the party’s resolution “a clear antisemitic text.”
The Green Party approved the motion earlier Sunday during its annual conference in Brighton, declaring itself “anti-Zionist.” The resolution said Zionism would be “treated as any other form of racism” and expressed support for a “single democratic Palestinian State in all of historic Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital.”
The Greens hold five of the 650 seats in Parliament. Polanski, who was campaigning to win the parliamentary seat held by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, did not take part in the vote. In a statement issued alongside Green lawmakers and his deputies, he said there was “no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people.”
Saar said the resolution “legitimizes armed struggle against Israel.” An earlier statement from Israel’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the measure, describing it as a stain on the U.K.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey hold defense talks in Riyadh
Foreign and defense ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are meeting in Riyadh under a trilateral defense cooperation agreement, officials from Turkey and Pakistan said.
The meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee, created under the Mecca Joint Agreement, comes as Yemen’s internationally recognized government—backed by Saudi Arabia—has announced a major military operation against Iran-supported Houthi rebels advancing toward the outskirts of a key city.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the ministers would discuss the latest regional developments and assess ongoing cooperation under the Mecca Agreement.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on Aug. 7, pledging to regard an armed attack against any one of the three countries as an attack on all of them.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
