By New York Post (World News) | Created at 2026-10-03 21:15:46 | Updated at 2026-10-03 21:52:40
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Al Qaeda publicly called for Americans on airplanes to be targeted in a vile post that referenced the 9/11 terror attacks while praising the Dubai flight hijacker — whose social media account shared photos of one of the terror group’s leaders.
The threat appeared to come Friday from the latest edition of al-Bayan, a weekly publication launched in July by pro-Al Qaeda supporters.
In an article, Al Qaeda supporters from the Arabian Peninsula — which often refers to Al Qaeda’s Yemen branch — said in Arabic that the United States and Israel had more enemies than ever and called for their citizens to be targeted in airline attacks.
“The war isn’t over yet — planes carrying Zionists, Americans and all the other infidels fighting against Islam are still hovering in the skies and can be targeted, as happened on September 11th and 30th,” it threatened.
The article included an image of a plane crashing into the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, next to an image of Wednesday’s hijacking of a flydubai aircraft carrying 174 people on board, mostly Israelis, from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
“America and the Zionists have far more enemies today than before. Perhaps a man who does not believe in God will target them and his operation will ultimately benefit Islam,” the article read. “Today you are writing the glory of the nation with your blood … whoever lives will find the fruit of the jihad of his brothers who came before him … and it is very near.
“The day will come when the empire of evil America will end.”
The publication’s Telegram channels appeared to be circulating the post Saturday, though it seemed to have been promptly taken down.
“This really feels like Al Qaeda is trying to capitalize on this event,” terror expert Evan Kohlmann told The Post.
“They’re trying to get publicity out of this because the organization is not dead but, on the ropes. They’ve been talking about attacks on US and Israeli airliners for the past 25 years.”
The post also boasted about “our brothers, supporters” republishing on social media the words and actions of Al Qaeda leaders — in a possible reference to Hamam al-Hammami, the 29-year-old Flydubai hijacker.
al-Hammami, a copilot aboard the doomed flight, used a crash ax to stab the pilot and take control of the cockpit in an attempted terror attack before he was restrained by heoric passengers.
About nine hours after Wednesday’s terrifying attack and while being held in custody, a series of posts went out on al Hammami’s LinkedIn and Instagram pages in quick succession, before the accounts were deleted.
It is unclear who published the posts while he was being held, or whether they were scheduled in advance, CNN reported.
One of the posts featured a series of video clips filmed in the cockpit of a plane, that zoomed in on nearby Israeli aircrafts and ended with a photo of terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Al Qaeda leader who succeeded Osama Bin Laden until his own 2022 death.
al-Hammami was reportedly indoctrinated into “al-Qaeda’s ideology,” Israel’s Channel 12 news reported, citing sources with an ongoing probe into the failed attack.
The Omani national held meetings with unspecified religious figures as part of his radicalization, and, according to sources familiar with the matter, used to work for Oman Air and Air Maroc, but was let go when radical ideology was found on his cell phone.
The jet plunged 18,000 feet before passengers subdued al-Hammami and took control of the plane. It made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia under the control of two backup pilots who were onboard.
