flydubai Flight Scare: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while speaking to a news channel on Thursday, claimed that the co-pilot who stabbed Indian captain Smit Machchhar in the cockpit of a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination.
"We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination," he was heard saying in the interview with Fox News.
Who Is The Attacker?
The attacker behind yesterday's attempted flight hijacking was "suicidal" and likely intended to bring down the plane, the prime minister said, adding that he was subdued and calling out to the crew to kill him.
News website Ynet, citing Israeli officials, reported that the co-pilot was an Omani national and was suspected of trying to crash the aircraft. The Indian captain Machchar fought with him to prevent the aircraft from crashing, with Israeli passengers later helping subdue the co-pilot.
The Flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, had transmitted emergency signals and made a sharp descent before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Tabuk. The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.
Netanyahu Says Indian Pilot 'True Hero'
Earlier on Wednesday, Israel's prime minister asserted that Machchhar saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals. "My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery. Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker, preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster," he said in a post on X. Wishing Machchhar a speedy and full recovery, Netanyahu said, "He is a true hero".
Who Is Smit Machchhar?
Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot, has been described as the "true hero" by top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump. He has more than 13 years of commercial flying experience and has flown more than 9,500 hours. A native of Mumbai, he was with SpiceJet for over 11 years before taking up the role of captain at Flydubai in June 2022. Machchar is a "good person", a senior pilot who had worked with him at SpiceJet told PTI.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Machchar was a former Line Training Captain at SpiceJet. He joined Flydubai as a captain in June 2022 after serving with SpiceJet as a commander for little over 11 years from June 2011, as per the profile. Machchhar has flown more than 9,500 hours, including over 6,400 hours as Pilot In Command (PIC).
(With PTI Inputs)
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