'Carry out similar attacks in future'; Al-Qaeda showers praise on Omani co-pilot

ABU DHABI: Terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda hailed the attacker of the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The organisation took pride in the actions of the Omani co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami (29). They termed it heroic and called upon their followers to carry out similar attacks on aircraft targeting the US and Israel.

Al-Qaeda compared the Flydubai incident to the World Trade Centre attacks of 2001. The group asserted that commercial aircraft are not safe and claimed that had Hamam succeeded in crashing the plane, the balance of power in the region would have been drastically altered. This official response appeared in an editorial in 'Al-Bayan', a weekly publication released by the group's sympathisers.

Hamam attempted to crash the plane after attacking the Indian pilot, Smit Machchhar, while the flight was en route early Wednesday morning. Hamam is currently in UAE custody.

Who is behind it?

* Al-Qaeda has not claimed responsibility for the attack. It is to be determined whether Hamam planned and executed it alone or if it was part of a terrorist network's plot.

* Inspired by Al-Qaeda's ideology, Hamam had previously posted terrorist content on social media.

* Hamam admitted that he intended to crash the plane and stated that he had no fear of death.

Australia launched an investigation into Hamam, as he was in Melbourne on a student visa in 2014 and left the country after his visa was cancelled in 2019. The United Kingdom also launched an inquiry, as he pursued aviation studies at Buckinghamshire New University.