Images of Ayman al-Zawahiri and al-Qaeda loyalist Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi appeared in videos on accounts linked to the Flydubai co-pilot.
Al-Qaeda images appeared in videos on social media accounts linked to Flydubai suspect Hamam al-Hammami. Photo: X
Images of former al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and al-Qaeda loyalist Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi appeared in videos on social media accounts linked to Hamam al-Hammami, the Omani co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, CNN reported, as authorities investigate his background and possible extremist connections.
The material included cockpit footage showing Israeli aircraft and photographs of al-Zawahiri, who led al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden, and al-Balawi, a Jordanian doctor loyal to the group who carried out a 2009 suicide bombing at a CIA base in Afghanistan. Nine people were killed in that attack, including seven CIA officers and contractors.
Two posts appeared in quick succession on a LinkedIn profile bearing al-Hammami’s name, about nine hours after the September 30 Flydubai incident. But CNN reported that it was unclear who had published the posts or whether they had been scheduled in advance. A source familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN that the LinkedIn profile belonged to al-Hammami.
Al-Qaeda Figures Appeared In Cockpit Video
The first LinkedIn post contained several clips filmed inside the cockpit of a Boeing 737 Max aircraft. CNN said it geolocated one clip to Dubai International Airport, where an aircraft belonging to Israeli airline El Al was visible.
War isn’t over: Al-Qaeda calls for copycat attacks on US, Israeli planes after Flydubai plot
Story by Edited by Priyanshu Priya
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Israeli airline El Al aircraft sit on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion Airport near the city of Lod on October 2, 2026.
Al Qaeda has reportedly called for copycat attacks targeting Americans and Israeli airliners, invoking the September 11 attacks while praising the alleged hijacker of a Dubai-bound flydubai flight over “crash attempt”.
A LinkedIn profile with al-Hammami’s name said that he worked at Oman Air for several years but left in February 2025.
The suspected terrorist who attempted to crash the Flydubai plane with over a hundred Israelis on board had terrorist immigrants on his social media and had been flagged for extremism concerns when he was flying for Oman Air, which removed him from his position.
The suspected terrorist co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly attacked a fellow pilot with an axe several times and then sent the plane into a nose dive in what has been referred to as a terrorist attack. The plane dropped several thousand feet within a minute before passengers were able to storm the cockpit, subdue al-Hammami, and take control of the airplane. The incident came a week before the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks.
Al-Qaeda began as a logistical network to support Muslims fighting against the Soviet Union during the Afghan War; members were recruited throughout the Islamic world. When the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, the organization dispersed but continued to oppose what its leaders considered corrupt Islamic regimes and foreign (i.e., U.S.) presence in Islamic lands. Based in Sudan for a period in the early 1990s, the group eventually reestablished its headquarters in Afghanistan (c. 1996) under the patronage of the Taliban militia.
Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers.
In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917
