We’re learning more about FlyDubai flight 1073. As every sane, reasonable person immediately knew, the co-pilot was an Islamist terrorist who intended to turn the 737 into a 9-11 style missile. What we didn’t know until now was his target:
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Under interrogation, Hamam al-Hammami, the Omani co-pilot, confessed that after killing the pilot his plan was to fly a normal landing approach and, in the final seconds, when interception was no longer possible, crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport. That is why, rather than striking at the outset, he attacked the captain only once the plane was over Jordan.
The flight was due to land around 9:30 a.m., at the height of Sukkot, when traffic through the airport peaks. Tens of thousands of travelers would likely have been in the terminal when it arrived, and the death toll could easily have run into the thousands. Under interrogation, al-Hammami admitted that on previous trips to Israel he had “gathered information,” perhaps on where a crash would claim the most lives.
Graphic: X Post
As with many acts of terrorism, the secondary effects of the attack would have been greater than the initial death toll:
Had his original plan succeeded, it would have been, by a wide margin, the worst attack in Israel’s history, and it would have closed far more than one flight corridor. Even if the physical damage at Ben Gurion could be quickly repaired, no airline would risk flying to Israel. The country would face an aviation isolation worse than anything it experienced even at the peak after October 7.
The tourism industry, barely hanging on by a thread after three years of war, would plunge into the abyss. Above all, the damage to the sense of safety of Israelis, chronic world travelers, would be incalculable.
That might not be as bad as the author suggests. Israelis, used to living with the daily threat of death, are a hardy people, as they demonstrated on Flight 1073. In an unsurprising development, other Islamists are encouraging copycat attacks:
Al Qaeda called for copycat attacks on Americans and Israeli airliners in a vile post referencing 9/11 and praising the Dubai flight hijacker — whose social media accounts shared photos of one of the terror group’s leaders.
The call appeared to come Friday in the latest edition of al-Bayan, a weekly publication launched in July by pro-Al Qaeda supporters, which invoked both the Sept. 11 attacks and Wednesday’s attempted takeover of Flydubai Flight FZ1073.
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“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,” the Arabic-language article threatened. [skip]
“America and the Zionists have far more enemies today than before,” the article said. “Perhaps a man who does not believe in God will target them and his operation will ultimately benefit Islam.” [skip]
It added: “The day will come when the empire of evil America will end.”
Was Iran involved? President Trump has suggested it was, but noted US Intelligence is “still working on it.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it’s too early to tell.
Iran’s potential involvement matters. It could finally convince President Trump that any deal Iran signs would be a futile lie, and perhaps finally invoke the military force necessary to overthrow the Islamist regime and restore the country to its sane, largely pro-American people. What matters more is the reminder that a single Islamist terrorist can do enormous damage, far beyond the initial body count.
Freedom is never free; blood and treasure must be spent to secure it. Often attributed to Thomas Jefferson is the idea that liberty’s price is eternal vigilance.
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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, lifelong athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer, and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.
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