KOR
▲ A flydubai aircraft
Posts related to terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and other Islamic extremist organizations were found on the social media account of the co-pilot who attempted a terror attack on a flydubai passenger plane bound for Israel, CNN reported on October 3 (local time).
According to the report, posts praising terrorist groups were successively uploaded to the LinkedIn and Instagram accounts of the suspect, 29-year-old Omani co-pilot Hamam Al-Hammami, approximately nine hours after the incident occurred.
The videos in question contained footage of Israeli El Al aircraft at Dubai International Airport filmed from the cockpit in October 2023, along with a photograph of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the former head of al-Qaeda and successor to Osama bin Laden.
Additionally, a photo was posted of Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist who killed nine people, including a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, in a 2009 suicide bombing in Afghanistan.
Al-Qaeda is a Sunni Islamist extremist terrorist organization founded with Osama bin Laden as its leader, which perpetrated the 9/11 terrorist attacks targeting the U.S. mainland in 2001.
The final part of the video featured an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated image of one of Islam's three holiest sites, accompanied by a voiceover stating, "We will protect our dignity without fearing death."
It has not been confirmed whether these posts were uploaded directly by Al-Hammami himself, if they were scheduled posts, or if someone else uploaded them on his behalf.
An analysis by CNN using an AI search model of nearly 3,000 tweets previously written and subsequently deleted by Al-Hammami also revealed persistent trends of religious extremism and misogyny.
Al-Hammami also discussed the difficulties he faced in finding a prospective bride who would accept his conditions, which included wearing a niqab face veil and stopping social activities after marriage, citing his mother.
Furthermore, he criticized mixed-gender work environments, arguing that such settings lead to the corruption of women.
Earlier, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Public Prosecution investigating the case officially announced that Al-Hammami committed an act of terror by attacking the captain with an emergency axe in the cabin and attempting to seize control of the aircraft.
The incident occurred on September 30 aboard a flydubai flight departing from Dubai, UAE, and heading to Tel Aviv, Israel.
The Indian captain was severely injured after being struck by the weapon wielded by Al-Hammami, but he managed to unlock the cockpit door, and three Israeli passengers along with crew members entered the cockpit to subdue Al-Hammami.
About 180 people were on board the accident aircraft, a significant portion of whom were Israeli.
Passengers had to suffer the terror of death inside the cabin as it plummeted due to Al-Hammami's rampage.
Al-Hammami reportedly told UAE investigative authorities that he attempted to take control of the aircraft's flight controls and intended to crash the plane in Israel.
It was learned that Al-Hammami was born in the UAE to an Omani father and a Syrian mother.
Al-Hammami's LinkedIn page states that he studied at Buckinghamshire New University in the United Kingdom.
The university confirmed to CNN that a man with that name completed a three-year distance learning program and earned a degree in aviation management in 2023.
Al-Hammami is known to have worked for Oman Air for about seven years.
It was found that he was removed from flight duties and transferred to other roles last year due to concerns over his extremist views.
He subsequently worked for Morocco's national airline, Royal Air Maroc, before joining flydubai this year, according to CNN.
This incident has raised points about a serious loophole in Israel's aviation security system.
This is because no prior screening was conducted even though an Omani pilot, whose country does not officially recognize Israel as a state, was assigned to operate a flight bound for Israel.
An Israeli Ministry of Transportation spokesperson admitted during a briefing, "The ministry's security regulations do not include provisions for verifying terrorist threats from pilots of foreign airlines."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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