Netanyahu hails Indian pilot Smit Machchhar after foiling flydubai cockpit attack

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Indian pilot Smit Machchhar on Saturday and called him a “hero” for foiling an alleged attempt by his co-pilot to crash an Israel-bound flydubai flight. Machchhar, 38, is being treated at a hospital in the UAE after the mid-air attack on Wednesday.

During the call, Netanyahu also invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Machchhar to light a flame on Israeli Independence Day. “It’s our highest honour that we give on our Independence Day. It’s usually reserved for Israeli citizens, but I think here in this case, all the citizens of Israel will embrace you. They do now, and they will then too. So we hope to see you very soon in Israel,” he told Machchhar.

In a post on X, the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel said, “You are a hero for Israel, India, and the entire world. I invite Prime Minister @NarendraModi and you to light a flame on Israeli Independence Day.” It added that during the “emotional conversation”, Netanyahu asked Machchhar how it began, and the pilot shared fresh details of the moments inside the cockpit.

On flydubai flight FZ1073, Machchhar was attacked by his co-pilot with a crash axe, which is kept in the cockpit for use in emergencies, seriously injuring him. The flight was carrying 174 passengers. It sent out emergency signals and made a rapid descent of more than 17,000 feet from 34,000 feet. The plane later made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a descent so extreme that part of the rudder was torn away.

Machchhar told Netanyahu that the co-pilot had wanted to pray before the attack. “...while he was praying, out of respect, I was just looking at the front and not at the back, and suddenly, after, I would say about four-five minutes, there was a big blow to the back of my head. My first thought was that there was catastrophic damage to the aircraft and something was not right. But then after that, the blows kept coming one after the other, and that’s when I realised that it’s not the aircraft, it’s the other guy who was in the cockpit with me,” he said.

Netanyahu told him he was “amazed at his courage” and “at your coolness of judgment under impossible conditions”. He said, “You saved so many souls. I think you saved something bigger. You saved the spirit of the world...It’s something that is being justly hailed around the world. You’re a hero of Israel. You’re a hero of India. You’re a hero of the entire world.” He also said, “You know, I guess it’s a twist of fate, and a twist of faith, and what you did is remarkable. I heard, of course, from the Israeli passengers what transpired after that, and you’re a great hero, and you were accompanied by heroes, and you saved the day.”

The Wall Street Journal, quoting people familiar with the matter, identified the co-pilot as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami. After receiving initial treatment in Tabuk, Machchhar was moved to Abu Dhabi for further medical care. The call with Netanyahu came as Israel publicly praised the Indian pilot’s actions and invited him to take part in its Independence Day ceremony.

With PTI Inputs

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