Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 04:44am on 05 Oct 2026,Monday International
Al-Qaeda’s Yemen-based branch, AQAP, has praised the failed hijacking of flydubai flight FZ1073 and called for similar attacks on US and Israeli airlines. Its weekly publication, Al-Bayan, published an Arabic editorial titled “Between September 11 and September 30,” featuring images of the 9/11 World Trade Centre attacks and the Tel Aviv-bound flight. The editorial said aircraft carrying Israelis, Americans and others deemed enemies of Islam remain vulnerable to attack. It suggested a successful hijacking could have shifted the regional balance of power and said attacks could also be carried out by non-Muslims whose actions might serve Islamist interests. The flight’s Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, opened the cockpit door after being attacked, allowing passengers to restrain the co-pilot. (PC: X)
