Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian Flydubai pilot who was stabbed by his co-pilot during a flight, has spoken about his experience for the first time. In a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from his hospital bed in Abu Dhabi, Machchhar described the incident, stating, "I had so many wounds. I had fallen down. I was fighting for my life. At one point, I realized that if I didn’t get up … then passengers would lose their lives."
The incident occurred on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with approximately 180 passengers on board, most of whom were Israeli nationals. Authorities in the UAE and Israel are investigating the incident, which has been labeled a terrorist attack by officials from both countries.
Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the UAE president, praised Machchhar for his bravery, stating he deserves "the highest recognition for embodying courage and responsibility in the face of a terrorist act and an imminent catastrophe."
The suspected attacker, an Omani national, was arrested upon landing in Saudi Arabia. The motive for the attack remains unclear, but Israeli officials suspect it was an attempted Islamist attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that the investigation would look into whether the co-pilot had been instructed by anyone, stating, "Whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price."
Flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith announced that the airline would conduct a full investigation into the incident and has suspended flights to Tel Aviv until at least October 15. Many Israeli nationals are currently stranded in the UAE due to the flight suspension, but Israeli airlines have received approvals to begin repatriating them back to Israel.