Stories
Netanyahu Hails Indian Pilot Smit Machchhar as 'True Hero' for Averting Flydubai Crash
- •Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar as a 'true hero'.
- •Netanyahu praised Machchhar for fighting his co-pilot despite being stabbed and seriously injured, saving 174 lives.
- •The co-pilot was allegedly attempting to crash the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
- •The incident forced an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
- •According to Israeli officials, the co-pilot was an Omani national suspected of trying to crash the plane.
Key Questions Answered
Benjamin Netanyahu praised Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery in fighting his co-pilot despite being stabbed and seriously injured, which played a crucial role in preventing a major tragedy and saving the lives of 174 people on board the Flydubai flight.
During the flight, the co-pilot allegedly attacked the Indian captain with a knife and attempted to crash the aircraft. The plane experienced sudden altitude drops before passengers and crew members entered the cockpit to subdue the attacker, allowing the flight to make a safe emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Israeli authorities suspected a hijacking attempt, and Defense Minister Israel Katz described the incident as an attempted jihadist terrorist attack that was successfully thwarted when Israeli passengers entered the cockpit and subdued the terrorist.
