The Attack and The Dive
An Omani co-pilot stabbed his Indian captain on FlyDubai flight FZ1073 on Wednesday. In under 30 seconds, the aircraft plummeted over 14,000 feet. Per RedState, the attacker tried to crash the aircraft full of passengers. The flight carried over 170 people, mostly Israelis, just days before the Oct. 7 anniversary.
The plane issued emergency signals and descended sharply before landing in Saudi Arabia. Passengers and crew broke into the cockpit to stop the man. Off-duty pilots traveling as guests took control of the flight deck. The crew stabilized the plane and landed it without serious harm to those on board.
Per Breitbart, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called this a highly severe security incident. He said the attacker had “undergone Islamist radical indoctrination.” The prime minister noted the suspect appeared intent on dying during the attack.
The Captain’s Fight For Life
Captain Smit Machchhar crawled to the cockpit door while bleeding from stab wounds. During a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he stated, “I was fighting for my life.” Per Daily Wire, the 17-year veteran knew the aircraft was going down as he lay on the floor.
“The door was right there,” he told the Indian leader. “I just opened it, sir. Everyone else came in.” This split-second decision saved 174 lives on board. Narendra Modi commended the pilot for upholding the honor of 1.4 billion citizens worldwide.
Modi told the injured captain, “Look, the entire country is praying for you.” The pilot broke down in tears and apologized for getting emotional. Modi said to Smit that if he did not get emotional before him, then where would he.
The captain revealed he recited the ancient “Hanuman Chalisa” while clinging to survival. He told Modi, “I am only positivity.” He said God would save him when he felt afraid. Before sending him to the UAE, Saudi authorities detained the suspected attacker.
Investigation Into Motives
Passengers who helped overpower the attacker described binding him with a headphone cable. Yaniv Hayun, an Israeli passenger, said the man shouted, “Kill me, kill me,” in English. Per RedState, the passengers insisted the attacker speak in English so they could understand him.
Investigators are now probing whether the co-pilot acted alone or received outside direction. The United Arab Emirates said officials are examining if the incident involved “prior planning or direction.” Netanyahu said Israeli investigators would help determine if Iran played any role.
“We’ll get to the root of this attacker, whether he had accomplices, whether Iran was behind it,” Netanyahu said. He cautioned that it remained “too early to say” if Tehran had any connection. Two Israeli security officials told Reuters that no Iranian involvement has been identified yet.
President Donald Trump offered a different assessment Thursday. He stated that the information he received indicated a potential Iranian link.
