Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch has praised Omani co-pilot Hamam Al-Hamami for his failed attempt to hijack a Flydubai flight. The terror group is now asking its followers to carry out similar attacks on American and Israeli airlines. They published an editorial about this incident in their weekly magazine 'Al-Bayan'.
Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch (AQAP) recently praised Omani co-pilot Hamam Al-Hamami. He is the man who tried to hijack a Flydubai flight. The terror group is now urging people to launch similar attacks on US and Israeli airlines. AQAP wrote an editorial about this incident in their weekly magazine, 'Al-Bayan'. They titled the article 'From September 11 to September 30'. The piece featured photos of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks from 2001 alongside pictures of the Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight FZ1073.
The article claims that American and Israeli flights are still in danger. It mentions both the 9/11 attacks and the September 30 Flydubai incident to warn about future hijackings. The 'Al-Bayan' editorial also stated that a successful Flydubai hijack could have shifted the power balance in the Middle East. They even suggested that non-Muslims could attack the US or Israel, trying to link such acts to Muslim interests.
What exactly happened on the Flydubai flight?
Flydubai flight FZ1073 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Reports say the Omani co-pilot, Hamam Al-Hamami, attacked the Indian pilot, Smit Macchar. He used a crash axe inside the cockpit. Captain Macchar somehow managed to open the cockpit door and alert the cabin crew. After that, the passengers stepped in and overpowered the co-pilot.
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During this chaos, the Boeing 737 plane dropped nearly 14,000 feet in just 30 seconds. Luckily, another pair of pilots was traveling on the same flight. They took control of the aircraft and landed it safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Security forces detained Hamam Al-Hamami right after the incident. Multiple countries are currently investigating the matter. However, Al-Qaeda did not claim that they planned or ordered this attack. They simply praised the co-pilot's actions after the event happened.
