Fox News Forced to Apologize After Airing 9/11 Footage During Report on 'Attempted Terror Attack' Aboard Hijacked Israel-Bound Plane
The crew on Fox & Friends issued an apology for the mix-up.
Sept. 30 2026, Published 2:36 p.m. ET
Fox News was forced to make an embarrassing apology on-air after inexplicably showing the aftermath of September 11, 2001, while discussing an alleged terrorist attack on an overseas passenger jet that evoked memories of that fateful day, RadarOnline.com can report.
The bizarre moment played out on Wednesday's edition of Fox & Friends, before the show was eventually stopped so one of the hosts could offer an apology.
'Fox & Friends' Issue Apology
The b-roll flashed on screen while Jeff Paul was reporting on an alleged terror attack overseas.
While Fox News Foreign Correspondent Jeff Paul was reporting the latest on a FlyDubai jet diverted to Saudi Arabia after the plane's co-pilot stabbed the pilot, a video from Shanksville, Pennsylvania, briefly played alongside him.
Text in the corner of the screen identified, "SHANKSVILLE, PA Sept. 11, 2001."
That was where United Flight 93 crashed after passengers fought back against foreign hijackers in the middle of the 9/11 attacks.
The footage only lasted a few moments, but about 30 minutes later, Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade issued the apology on air.
"A half hour ago, when we came on the air, we were just getting the latest on this story. We aired some footage unrelated," Kilmeade told viewers. "We apologize for any confusion."
From there, the coverage recentered on the morning's breaking news.
'Shame on You' Fox News
The 'Fox & Friends' crew issued an apology 30 minutes later.
Online, however, critics weren't in a forgiving mood, rushing to point out the mistake on social media.
"Yup, Faux Entertainment never ceases to amaze," one person tweeted, as another agreed, "Fluffy FOXY entertainment. Up-to-date breaking news, give or take twenty-five years... Zero CREDIBILITY is showing."
A third person slammed, "We can all clearly see what you did there, Fox. Don't play mind games with the audience by trying to equate one thing with another. Your 'I'm sorry' is BS. Shame on you."
While one person wondered, "Imagine how (Fox News Channel) would react if MS NOW or CNN made the same error."
Terror Attack in the Sky
A co-pilot attacked a pilot in the cockpit during a FlyDubai flight to Israel.
As Radar reported, the pilot of an Israeli-bound passenger jet was unexpectedly attacked and stabbed by his co-pilot mid-air on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
Officials believe the co-pilot tried to crash the aircraft, which was carrying over 175 people, before passengers and crew members subdued the attacker and the plane made a safe emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
The FlyDubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane was on its way from the United Arab Emirates to Israel when the co-pilot apparently tried to take control in what Israeli sources say was an attempted hijacking. The flight was cruising at 34,000 feet before the attack, which caused it to fall over 18,000 feet in less than two minutes.
Photos and videos showed passengers and the pilot covered in blood after stopping the alleged terrorist.
"One pilot stabbed the other and tried to do 9/11," an official told local media.
Passengers Fought Back
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Passengers on the plane fought back and subdued the co-pilot attacker.
Graphic video from the aftermath showed the captain drenched in blood, wearing an oxygen mask and lying on his back in the galley of the aircraft next to a bloodied wall.
According to witnesses, two "relief" pilots onboard and on their way to operate a subsequent flight jumped into action to help safely land the plane. One passenger described the life-saving pilots as European natives.
As the other pilots took control of the aircraft, passengers ran towards the man who had a knife. The attacker is believed to be Omani and had worked at FlyDubai for less than a year, according to the Jerusalem Post.
"We're here during the hijacking of an airplane. At this point, we've subdued the terrorists," one passenger said on tape.
"We were either going to crash or be murdered," another passenger told I24 News. "It was like a terrorist attack in mid-air."
