Al Qaeda-linked magazine calls for copycat attacks on US, Israeli planes after flydubai incident

A pro-Al Qaeda publication called for copycat attacks on US and Israeli airliners, citing the September 11, 2001 attacks and last week's attempted takeover of a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, The Times of India reported.

The call appeared in the latest edition of al-Bayan, a weekly publication launched in July by supporters of Al Qaeda, according to the report.

The publication's article referred to both the 9/11 attacks and the September 30 incident involving Flydubai Flight FZ1073.


Also Read: UAE had shared details about FlyDubai flight with Israel, including pilots' names and nationalities

The development raised fresh concerns over the use of the flydubai incident by extremist groups to encourage further attacks on commercial aviation.

The publication's Telegram channels also appeared to circulate the article before it was apparently removed, according to TOI.

The attempted takeover occurred aboard the Israel-bound flight when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with a cockpit crash axe and tried to seize control of the aircraft. The flight, which was carrying 182 people, went into a sharp descent before the situation was brought under control.

Flydubai incident under probe

The co-pilot was identified as an Omani national and remained under investigation following the incident. UAE officials said in the report that he attacked the captain before attempting to take control of the aircraft.

A person familiar with the investigation told TOI that the co-pilot had previously been barred from flying by Oman over concerns that he had adopted extremist views. The circumstances under which he was later hired by flydubai and assigned to the Israel-bound flight remained under scrutiny.

The flight was eventually diverted and landed safely in Saudi Arabia after crew members and passengers intervened.

Also Read: A fight in the cockpit, a plunge from 33,000 feet: Inside the FlyDubai mid-air crisis

The UAE had described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack, while investigators continued to examine the co-pilot's background, possible motives and whether he had acted alone.

The latest call by the Al Qaeda-linked publication came as authorities investigated the attempted takeover and its wider security implications. The TOI report said the publication explicitly linked the incident to the 9/11 attacks and portrayed commercial aircraft as potential targets.