Jamaat-e-Islami Hind-Owned MediaOne channel in Kerala has once again exposed its colours by spreading disinformation regarding the flydubai Flight FZ1073 attempted hijack incident which left the pilot Captain Smit Machchhar grievously injured by his Omani co-pilot. But despite that, Captain Machchhar fought back and saved the lives of nearly 180 people.
As news of the incident broke, MediaOne TV published a post under its Out Of Focus programme carrying the headline: “Did Israel itself hijack it?”
Separately, MediaOne Saudi published another post carrying the headline: “Plane crash-landed in Saudi; pilot confirmed to be Indian.”
The wording of the two posts obscure the actual sequence of events and creating misleading impressions about what happened aboard the aircraft.
It Was Not A ‘Crash Landing’
The MediaOne Saudi headline described the incident as a plane “crash-landing” in Saudi Arabia.
The Flight FZ1073 did not crash. After the attack inside the cockpit, the aircraft was brought back under control and diverted to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing.
The aircraft had suffered a severe mid-air drop after the alleged cockpit attack, but the crew and passengers managed to regain control of the situation. The plane ultimately landed safely in Tabuk.
Indian Pilot Was The Victim, Not The Attacker
The second part of the MediaOne Saudi headline says “pilot confirmed to be Indian” also creates a suspicion in the viewers’ minds about the competency and credibility of Indian pilots as a whole. The media tried to peddle a suicide narrative during the Ahmedabad-London Air India flight too.
In the flydubai case, the Indian pilot was Captain Smit Machchhar, who was attacked and stabbed by his Omani Muslim co-pilot whose identity has been kept secret until today.
Despite sustaining serious injuries, Machchhar fought back and managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene and restrain the attacker.
The intervention prevented the attempt to crash the aircraft. Off-duty pilots travelling aboard the flight also assisted the crew, after which the aircraft was diverted to Tabuk.
‘Did Israel Itself Hijack It?’
The MediaOne TV post carried the even more striking headline, “Did Israel itself hijack it?”
Rather than presenting the developing facts of the incident, the headline raised an immediate conspiracy theory linking Israel to the incident.
The question was presented prominently as part of MediaOne’s Out Of Focus coverage while the incident was still developing.
The established sequence of events was that an alleged violent confrontation took place inside the cockpit, with the Omani co-pilot attacking Captain Machchhar. The aircraft subsequently experienced a dramatic loss of altitude before control was regained and it was diverted to Saudi Arabia.
2 posts from Kerala’s MediaOne News.
For those who don’t follow Malayalam:“Is the Flydubai hijacking Israel’s plan?”
“Flight crash-landing in Saudi; pilot is ‘Indian national’.”
100% literacy in full glory.
Hope the GOI &concerned agencies take note. Absolutely disgraceful. pic.twitter.com/cSIKl04rV0— Dr TP Senkumar (@drtpsenkumar) October 1, 2026
Fake News & Anti-Hindu Hate Peddled By MediaOne
This is also not the first time MediaOne has peddled fake news and anti-Hindu hate. In one instance while reviewing the film Kantara: Chapter 1, the channel claimed there was hidden “Hindutva” and “Sangh Parivar” messaging in the film.
In another case, during a MediaOne broadcast, a panelist made an unverified and sweeping allegation linking rape to the RSS, without evidence being presented to substantiate the claim.
For a channel operated by Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited, whose investor base includes many members of Kerala’s Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, whose top management includes Dr. Yaseen Ashraf as MD, Mushthaq Ahmed as Group CEO, O. Abdurahman as Group Editor, and C. Dawood as Managing Editor, this kind of behaviour of peddling lies and disinformation indicates how the people associated willingly push an anti-India propaganda in the name of news.
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