Al-Qaeda has issued a call for Israeli and US nationals on aircraft to be targeted, while praising the alleged attempted attack on a FlyDubai flight on September 30.
Co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, 29, who is accused of trying to crash the plane carrying numerous Israelis earlier this week, is currently under investigation in the United Arab Emirates.
Investigation and background
The pilot had reportedly been dismissed from a previous role at Oman's national airline last year amid concerns over his extremist beliefs, according to two sources familiar with the situation who spoke to CNN. More than 170 passengers were on board, the majority of whom were Israeli citizens.
The report indicated investigators were examining whether he operated independently and were searching for potential copycats.
Al-Qaeda's propaganda response
An online newsletter affiliated with al-Qaeda now appears to have commended the attack and urged that Israeli and US nationals travelling by air should be targeted.
The material features in what is described as the 11th edition of a weekly propaganda publication produced by the Al-Yaqin, al-Qaeda's media arm.
"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, according to the New York Post.
Distribution and monitoring
Telegram channels linked to the publication appeared to be distributing the latest edition on Friday and Saturday.
Specialist terrorism-monitoring organisation Terrogence has described the newsletter as an al-Qaeda-affiliated magazine, stating that it is predominantly distributed via Al-Yaqin-affiliated channels. Earlier issues have featured attack summaries, religious content and articles advancing al-Qaeda's agenda.
