Al-Qaeda Calls for Attacks on Israeli and US Flights After Dubai Hijacking Attempt

The terrorist organization Al-Qaeda has issued a dangerous call to its supporters worldwide, urging them to carry out copycat attacks against American and Israeli aviation targets. This call follows an attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which was thwarted last Wednesday. The appeal was published in the latest issue of the organization's magazine, "Al-Bayan," distributed via Telegram channels.

The article, written in Arabic, included images from the September 11th attacks alongside documentation from the recent hijacking incident. It explicitly threatened that the war against the West continues and that aircraft carrying "Zionists and Americans" are legitimate targets in the skies. The authors also declared that the day of the "American empire of evil" will eventually end.

The incitement comes in the wake of a dramatic incident on Flydubai flight FZ1073, en route from the UAE to Israel. During the flight, the 29-year-old Omani co-pilot, Hammam Al-Mammi, suddenly attacked the captain with an emergency axe from the cockpit, stabbing him and struggling for control of the aircraft with the intention of crashing it. The plane rapidly lost about 18,000 feet, causing immense panic among passengers.

Thanks to the bravery of crew members and passengers, the attackers were subdued and neutralized. Two other Flydubai pilots on board took control and safely landed the aircraft in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. An investigation by the UAE's Attorney General officially determined the incident to be a planned terror attack. Israeli intelligence sources indicated that Al-Mammi had undergone a deep religious radicalization process, influenced by Al-Qaeda ideology.

Approximately nine hours after the attack was stopped, while the perpetrator was in custody, a series of timed posts appeared on his LinkedIn and Instagram accounts. These posts featured cockpit footage focusing on nearby Israeli aircraft and concluded with a picture of Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's successor. International terror experts suggest Al-Qaeda is attempting to leverage this event to encourage more "lone wolf" attacks globally. The content also referenced Humam al-Balawi, a Jordanian doctor who carried out a deadly suicide bombing against a CIA base in Afghanistan in 2009. Experts note that the combination of a prestigious professional background, like that of a commercial pilot, with extreme jihadist ideology is a concerning pattern for Western aviation and security authorities.

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) stated it is closely monitoring the investigation's findings in coordination with international law enforcement to thwart future threats to civil aviation. Separately, US President Donald Trump suggested a possible link between Iran and the hijacking attempt, stating that the matter was being investigated and that the US would respond forcefully if Iran was found to be behind it.