Stories
Flydubai Hijack Scare: Conspiracy Theories Erupt Blaming Israel, Mossad
- •A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv experienced a hijack scare when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain, leading to an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
- •Within an hour of the incident, social media was flooded with conspiracy theories claiming the event was a staged "false flag" operation by Israel, Mossad, Benjamin Netanyahu, Zionists, or Jews.
- •Antisemitism watchdogs, including the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and CyberWell, monitored the rapid spread of these claims, noting that 72% of "false flag" posts blamed Israel or Jews.
- •Researchers observed that these narratives often drew on pre-existing antisemitic frameworks and were quickly exploited to deepen social divisions and portray Israel and Jews as a hidden force behind unrelated events.
- •The incident highlighted the speed at which antisemitic conspiracy theories can attach to breaking news, with some claims also focusing on the attacker's nationality or linking the event to Israeli politics and Netanyahu's legal troubles.
Key Questions Answered
A Boeing 737 MAX 8 flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 people on board experienced an emergency when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with a weapon and attempted to take control. Passengers and crew successfully intervened to restrain the attacker, and the aircraft safely diverted and landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Conspiracy theories began spreading rapidly on social media shortly after the incident, with the first post explicitly accusing Israel of staging a false flag operation appearing just 67 minutes after the initial emergency signal. Within a 12-hour monitoring period, researchers examined thousands of related posts, with roughly 72 percent promoting narratives blaming Israel or Jews.
Social media users circulated unverified claims about the alleged perpetrator's nationality and background before authorities released official details. Additionally, mainstream media faced issues when Israel's Channel 12 aired a live telephone interview with a prankster falsely claiming to be a passenger, before terminating the broadcast.
