New Zealand police stated on Tuesday that the flydubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed his captain last week completed a portion of his flight training in the country seven years ago for a UK-based company. Assistant Commissioner Michael Johnson confirmed in an emailed statement that immigration records show the man was in New Zealand on a six-month student visa between November 2018 and May 2019.

"Immigration records show he arrived in New Zealand on 30 November 2018 and departed 23 May 2019," Johnson said, adding that the training was conducted for a company that no longer operates in New Zealand. Police are currently reviewing records and conducting enquiries regarding the suspect's time spent in the country.

The incident occurred on flydubai flight FZ1073, which was bound for Israel from Dubai before the co-pilot attacked the pilot with an emergency crash axe. The United Arab Emirates prosecutor general has formally described the episode as a terrorist attack.

Two sources have identified the co-pilot as an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami, while Israeli officials confirmed he is from Oman without releasing his name. Neither UAE authorities nor flydubai have publicly disclosed the suspect's identity, and an Australian multi-agency counterterrorism unit is investigating his links to Australia.