Debunking Conspiracy Theories About Flydubai Hijacking Attempt

Following a dramatic incident on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, numerous conspiracy theories emerged online, claiming the event was staged by Israel. Research by the CAM Anti-Semitism Research Center identified thousands of posts on X (formerly Twitter) attributing the incident to Israel, its intelligence agencies, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Zionists, or Jews. One prominent influencer, Jackson Hinkle, shared a video portraying the event as a staged operation, which garnered over 2.4 million views.

These theories suggested Netanyahu had prior knowledge, Israeli security personnel were planted on the plane, the flight number contained a hidden message related to October 7th, and the absence of oxygen masks or an undisturbed cup of water were presented as evidence of a hoax. A fabricated video, mimicking a BBC report, also circulated, alleging involvement of Mossad and Indian intelligence.

However, information from sources other than Israel has contradicted these claims. Flydubai confirmed an altercation in the cockpit, and the UAE's Attorney General announced on Saturday that the co-pilot attempted a "terrorist act," attacking the captain with an emergency axe and trying to seize control of the aircraft. The investigation into his motives and potential connections is ongoing.

One theory claimed the flight's steep descent, from 34,000 feet to 16,600 feet in about 90 seconds, should have triggered oxygen masks. However, cabin altitude, not the rate of descent, activates the oxygen system, and data on cabin pressure during the event is unavailable. Similarly, a viral image of an undisturbed cup of water was presented as proof of no severe turbulence, but the photo's timing relative to the descent is unconfirmed, and the descent itself may not have constituted freefall.

Another claim involved comparing two videos, suggesting they depicted different aircraft and thus a staged event. One video showed passengers inside the plane, while the other, featuring Israelis dancing, was identified as being filmed in August 2025, over a year before the incident, during the Israeli basketball team's journey to EuroBasket. The second video was unrelated to the Flydubai flight.

A fake BBC report video falsely linked an Indian national to the incident and suggested Mossad involvement. The BBC confirmed the video was not theirs, and ABC Verify found it used real footage of a presenter with a fabricated voice and script. The flight number FZ1073 was also interpreted as a coded reference to October 7th, but flight history shows the number was used for the Dubai-Tel Aviv route for weeks prior to the incident.

The presence of additional crew members on board, who helped secure the aircraft, was also questioned, with some theories labeling them as planted Israeli special forces. Flydubai confirmed that its crew members, traveling as passengers, secured the plane and landed it safely, a common practice in airline operations. The airline did not detail why these crew members were on that specific flight, but no evidence suggests they were Israeli security personnel.

Despite the debunking of many conspiracy theories, questions remain regarding the co-pilot, identified as Hammam Al-Hamami, an Omani citizen. Reports suggest he was previously removed from flight duties at Oman Air due to concerns about extremist views and that his background checks may have focused on criminal convictions rather than radicalization. While investigations are ongoing, no direct link to a terrorist organization has been established yet, though extremist content was found on social media accounts linked to him. The UAE Attorney General stated that possible connections are still being examined. The incident also highlighted a potential gap in Israel's security procedures, as there is no mechanism to pre-screen the identities and backgrounds of all foreign airline crew members on flights to Israel, relying instead on airline declarations and origin country security.