“It's Obviously Terrorism”: Bill Maher Questions Why the Media Is Reluctant to Call Flydubai Hijacking a Terrorist Attack

WHY IS THE MEDIA reluctant to call the Flydubai plane hijack incident terrorism when it’s obviously terrorism, asks American television host and comedian Bill Maher. He said this on the October 2, 2026 episode of his talk show Real Time with Bill Maher, with guests Malcolm Gladwell, Fareed Zakaria, and Anand Giridharadas.

While talking about various issues, Bill suddenly questioned the guests, “What did you think of the airline hijacking this week?” and continued to explain his thoughts on the incident.

The talk show host questioned why the media is so reluctant to call the incident a terrorist attack when it was actually that. A clip of his video was also posted on social media platform X by Smita Prakash, Editor at Asian News International (ANI), with the caption, “Bill Maher nails it. When it’s staring you in the face and yet you don’t want to report it because of your ideological leanings then you are not a reporter.” So, what is that incident which Bill said would have been a bigger story?

The comments were in reference to the hijacking attempt by Omani co-pilot identified as Hamam Al-Hammami, who stabbed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar on a Flydubai aircraft en-route from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026. After stabbing Smit, Hammami tried to take control of the plane but failed to do so as Smit opened the cockpit door, letting the flight attendants and passengers in and stopping the attacker. And just like that, 174 passengers along with many flight attendants were saved.

See Also: Another 9/11-Like Terror Attack Averted? Omani Pilot Hamam Al-Hammami's Shocking Confession Reveals His Plan to Crash Flydubai Flight Into Israeli Skyscraper

Real Time Guests Discuss Flydubai Hijacking Incident

Bill Maher said that, for a second, “let’s pause.” He then explained that a routine flight between Israel and the UAE, which had only become possible after the Abraham Accords, 2020, was hijacked. He said, “One of the pilots was a jihadist tried to hijack the plane, stabbed the other pilot and then as in let's roll the one that we stopped here in this country on 9/11, the passengers took over and landed the plane safely.”

Then he went on and asked “a dirty question,” which was, “Do you think if that plane full of Jews had crashed, the Macklemores of the world would be celebrating it?” Maher’s comment was in reference to the American rapper Macklemore shouting “Free Palestine” on stage during his “Loop Tour” with Ed Sheeran in September 2026. To this, Fareed Zakaria, another guest on the show, said, “I hope not,” and then said that the most important thing, according to him, is how the Gulf Arab countries are getting close to Israel.

Fareed said, “They landed in Saudi Arabia and then Saudi Arabia, you know, sent the plane back to the UAE. It is that the UAE and the Gulf States are in a kind of tacit alliance with Israel already whether or not they formalize it.” He said that they shared intelligence and added that there is a new Middle East formed where, on one side, we have Iran and, on the other side, there are other Gulf countries which have decided to get closer to Israel because their security concerns align.

Bill replied that the Middle Eastern countries have always hated Iran for one reason or another, to which Fareed said, “But now they are willing to say it.”

Bill said that both Dubai and Tel Aviv are rich states, so it is normal and makes sense that these two have flights connecting them. He gave an example, “This is like what they used to say like two countries with the McDonald's have never attacked each other. I think we passed that benchmark.” To which Fareed jokingly remarked how it didn’t work as Russia and Ukraine had McDonald’s.

Bill Maher Questions Media Coverage Around Terrorist Co-Pilot

The author of the book Man in the Mirror, Anand Giridharadas, also pointed out the videos that were released by the passengers of the flydubai flight. He said you can see the parents were comforting their children during the dramatic mid-air nose dive of the plane. He said that, he was reminded of the videos that he saw related to Gaza.

“..it actually reminded me of a lot of videos I've seen from Gaza in the past few years,” Giridharadas said. “[There are a huge amount of people in Gaza who want] a stable life, to have family that is secure and stable and comfort their kids when they can't do anything for them because something bigger is going on.” He further added that these people who are suffering are just caught between the leaders constantly failing them.

See also: 40 Years Before Captain Smit Machchhar’s Bravery, One Flight Attendant Died Saving More Than 300 Passengers During 1986 Pan Am Hijacking—She Was Neerja Bhanot

Then Bill said that he thinks the media is always reluctant to call terrorism, terrorism. “It did seem like the media is always a little reluctant to call it terrorism when it's obviously terrorism. I mean, after a while they do.” He then said that the original media reporting was that the two pilots had an altercation in the cockpit and sarcastically remarked, “They had a little argument. I think we should crash the plane. You don't. Agree to disagree.”

Who Is Bill Maher?

Bill Maher is an American comedian and a talk show host who is well known for his sharp and critical political commentary. He was born in New York City, New York, as William Maher and grew up in River Vale, New Jersey. His father was of Irish Catholic descent and his mother was of Jewish descent.

He started doing stand-up comedy at restaurants and was later scouted by The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He later made various appearances in sitcoms, shows, and films, and in 1993 was offered his own talk show by Comedy Central.

In 1993, his show Politically Incorrect premiered, in which he held roundtable discussions on current events, attracting celebrities, politicians, and pundits. Then in 1997, his show was moved to ABC and its success continued. After some controversy happened and its ratings dropped, the show was cancelled by ABC in 2002.

In 2003, a similar programme was aired by HBO with the title Real Time with Bill Maher.

Maher is known for criticizing contemporary culture and politics and has established a distinct political identity with a blend of liberal and libertarian philosophies. Maher is one of the most vocal critics of organized religion and is described as a person who is completely indifferent towards the existence or non-existence of God. He mixes comedy with serious topics to interview political figures and cultural critics.

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

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