The Aporia · Accused plane hijacker is religious extremist who refused to shake women’s hands: ‘We hired a terrorist’

Accused plane hijacker is religious extremist who refused to shake women’s hands: ‘We hired a terrorist’

Read the original at New York Post ↗

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APA MLA Chicago

Bradford, C. (2026, October 1). Accused plane hijacker is religious extremist who refused to shake women’s hands: ‘We hired a terrorist’. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/01/world-news/accused-plane-hijacker-is-religious-extremist-who-refuses-to-shake-womens-hands-we-hired-a-terrorist/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

A flydubai employee from Oman accused of attempting to hijack a flight to Israel by stabbing the lead pilot is described as a religious extremist who refused to shake hands with women. Colleagues reported unusual behavior from the suspect, including frequent prayer and avoidance of interactions deemed inappropriate under strict Islamic customs. The incident has led to concerns over security protocols and diplomatic aviation agreements between Israel and other nations, prompting calls for stricter checks on pilots flying into Israel.

Written by AI on 2026-10-01, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv signaled an emergency and was diverted to land at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. The incident initially raised concerns about a possible hijacking, prompting Israel to scramble warplanes. However, Israeli officials later reported that the emergency signals were due to a physical altercation between the plane's two pilots rather than a hijacking attempt.

The flight, identified as Flydubai Flight FZ1073, transmitted multiple emergency alerts after takeoff and over Jordanian airspace before landing safely in Saudi Arabia. Passengers on board managed to overpower the attacker, who was later identified by UAE officials as Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami. Al-Hammami allegedly attempted to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's airport but was stopped by passengers.

UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi stated that signs of al-Hammami’s radicalization first emerged in 2017 while he was studying engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. He reportedly became influenced by extremist literature and online content glorifying terrorist organizations during this period.

Written for “Flydubai Hijacker's Radicalization Path” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 345 other(s) covering the same event.

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Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

20%

3 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

withheld

no quote in the article backed the model's score

Publisher signals

66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

346

Crime & Law

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Chris Bradford

86 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

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🔮 Blake used hers to further a scam against a senior resident, live a lavish lifestyle using stolen bank cards and thinking she could get away with it,” Rick Staly, the Flagler County Sheriff, said in a release Tuesday.

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2026-10-23 · mixed framing · Meghan Markle says ‘deeply’ disturbing child porn allegations explain why she cut ties with dad 8 years ago

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Also by Chris Bradford

Disgraced ex-Prince Andrew under fresh investigation over Balmoral trips with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell: cops

2026-10-30 · New York Post

Two college students who went missing on Ice Mountain hike are found dead: ‘A gut punch’

2026-10-29 · New York Post

‘Pink Panther’ star Elke Sommer dies a week before 86th birthday: report

2026-10-29 · New York Post

Brooklyn flight attendant busted in $25K sweepstakes scam targeting Florida senior: police

2026-10-28 · New York Post

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 86 articles by Chris Bradford →

Claims (15 extracted, 3 hedged)

The flydubai staffer accused of trying to hijack a plane carrying 174 people to Israel by stabbing the lead pilot was known as a religious extremist who refused to shake hands with women, according to a colleague. uncertain

who → accuse → colleague

The co-pilot responsible for what Israel’s defense minister called “a jihadist terrorist attack” Wednesday has not been named publicly, but was an Omani national who had worked for the airline for less than a year. asserted

who → call → year

He was “someone characterized by very strange behavior, especially around religious observances that were out of step with his surroundings,” a fellow pilot told Israel’s Channel 16 journalist Yosef Yisrael. asserted

pilot → characterize → journalist

“For instance, he used to pray a lot, and would not shake hands with women,” Yisrael said of what the pilot told him on the condition of anonymity. asserted

pilot → use → anonymity

The colleague claimed flydubai – a sister airline of Emirates – had “betrayed” the Jewish State by hiring the pilot who others have said seemed desperate to crash the plane in another 9/11. asserted

others → claim → 9/11

“There is no other way to put it, we hired the services of a terrorist and nearly caused the deaths of 180 people,” the co-worker reportedly told the journalist. uncertain

worker → be → journalist

“Usually only Emiratis fly to Israel. asserted

Emiratis → fly → Israel

It is not clear how he got on this flight. asserted

he → get → flight

It remains unclear how the Omani national was able to work the flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, which was eventually landed by two off-duty pilots in Saudi Arabia. uncertain

which → remain → Arabia

To land in Israel, pilots must hold passports from countries which have diplomatic relations with the Jewish State, and Israel and Oman do not have such diplomatic relations Miri Regev, the Israeli government’s transportation minister, called for the country’s Civil Aviation Authority to investigate whether the United Arab Emirates has breached its aviation agreement with Israel, the Times of Israel reported Wednesday, hours after the plane landed in Saudi Arabia by two relief pilots. asserted

plane → land → pilots

“This is a clear breach of the agreement,” a transportation ministry source told the Jerusalem Post – calling for Israel’s Security Agency to investigate. asserted

Agency → tell → Post

Flydubai flights to and from Israel have been temporarily suspended and Israel is ramping up security checks on pilots. asserted

Israel → suspend → pilots

“Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots’ identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check,” Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, said. asserted

Spielman → go → office

“Anywhere that an Israeli is going to be flying into Israel. asserted

Israeli → go → Israel

Our job right now is to do our best — even if they’re not on Israeli airlines — to make sure that those security procedures are much higher.” asserted

are → do → airlines

Accused plane hijacker is religious extremist who refused to shake women’s hands: ‘We hired a terrorist’

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Claims (15 extracted, 3 hedged)