Stories
Al-Qaeda Enters Flydubai Incident, Praises Co-Pilot: "We Will Carry Out More Such Attacks"
- •Al-Qaeda praised the Flydubai incident, calling it a planned conspiracy to kill 181 people.
- •Al-Qaeda-linked publications appealed to target planes carrying American and Israeli passengers.
- •Supporters of the organization referenced the 9/11 attacks, speaking of repeating similar incidents.
- •Flydubai Flight FZ1073, en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv, experienced an emergency after the co-pilot attacked the captain.
- •Co-pilot Hammam Al-Hamami attacked Captain Smit Machhar with an axe, leading to passengers subduing him.
Key Questions Answered
Al-Qaeda's Yemen-based branch published an article in Arabic praising the jihadi co-pilot involved in the Flydubai Flight FZ1073 incident. The terrorist organization also threatened to carry out more such attacks targeting American and Israeli passengers, invoking memories of the 9/11 attacks.
Flydubai Flight FZ1073 experienced a serious emergency while passing through Saudi Arabian airspace when it suddenly dropped over 16,000 feet and sent hijacking codes. The co-pilot, Hammam Al-Hamami, attacked the captain with an axe before passengers intervened and overpowered him, allowing the aircraft to land safely in Tabuk.
An Al-Qaeda-linked weekly publication, which was shared on Telegram channels and later removed, appealed for attacks on planes carrying American and Israeli citizens. The publication included imagery from the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center attacks while discussing the Flydubai incident.
