US President Donald Trump praised Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar as a ‘hero’ for saving 174 people aboard a flydubai plane after he was stabbed by his co-pilot, who allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft. Trump described the attacker as ‘perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job.’
Trump speaks to Netanyahu
Addressing the media about the incident, Trump said that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the harrowing mid-air attack aboard the flydubai flight. “I spoke to Benjamin Netanyahu about this incident. It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job, and he stabbed the pilot. The pilot was in very bad shape. But in a way, he was a hero to open the door.”
Trump also praised the “amazing” intervention of Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayoun, who helped subdue the alleged attacker during the mid-air incident. Appreciating Hayoun’s actions, Trump said an Israeli plumber with virtually no flying experience sprang into action as the aircraft was plunging towards the ground, Fox News reported.
According to Trump, Hayoun heard screams, rushed towards the flight deck and pulled the alleged attacker out of the pilot’s seat. Hayoun later met the Israeli Prime Minister and recounted his actions, saying he and other passengers intervened to stop the alleged attacker. He said he put the man in a chokehold, pulled him out of the cockpit, and then returned to help take control of the aircraft, CNN reported.
Netanyahu hails Indian pilot
Netanyahu also praised Machchhar, describing his actions as an extraordinary display of bravery. According to Netanyahu, the Indian captain’s intervention helped save the lives of 174 people aboard the aircraft.
“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,” Netanyahu wrote on X. “He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals. I wish Captain Machchhar a speedy and full recovery. He is a true hero,” he added.
The bravery displayed by Captain Machchhar and the passengers has drawn widespread admiration from Indian and Israeli diplomatic missions, as well as the global aviation community.
What happened on Flydubai flight FZ1073?
The incident took place aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 on Wednesday, September 30. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was forced to divert to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia after an emergency unfolded inside the cockpit. All passengers were later flown to Tel Aviv on a replacement flight.
Machchhar, who was stabbed by his co-pilot during the flight, however, managed to open the cockpit door despite suffering serious injuries. His action allowed passengers and crew members to enter the cockpit and overpower the attacker.
The flight plunged thousands of feet before crew members and passengers intervened, after which the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia, Fox News reported.
The motive behind the attack remains under active investigation by authorities.
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