US President Donald Trump said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the mid-air attack aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, in which the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by his co-pilot who allegedly attempted to crash the plane.
Addressing the media about the incident, Trump said that he spoke with Netanyahu regarding the harrowing mid-air attack and described the attacker as “perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job,” calling Captain a hero.
Trump said, “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 passenger’s “amazing” intervention to subdue the attacker.
Appreciating the Israelite who intervened, Trump said that “an Israeli plumber with virtually no flying experience sprang into action” as the aircraft was plunging toward the ground,” Fox News reported.
Trump stated that the passenger heard screams, rushed forward to the flight deck, and ripped the alleged attacker out of the pilot’s seat, as per Fox News.
Flydubai passenger Yaniv Hayoun met Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and recounted his attempt to enter the cockpit. He said he and other passengers intervened to stop the alleged attacker, describing how he put the man in a chokehold, pulled him out of the cockpit, and then returned to take control of the aircraft, CNN reported.
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.
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.
Hailing the pilot, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs hailed Captain Machchhar as a hero and said that the Captain fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit and despite severe injuries, managed to unlock the cockpit door.
In a post on X, “This man is a hero. Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian captain of flydubai Flight 1073, fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit. Despite being severely injured, he managed to unlock the cockpit door allowing Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew to intervene and save all the passengers. Together, their extraordinary courage saved 174 lives. Indian. Israeli. Emirati. Different nationalities. One extraordinary act of courage. We wish Captain Machchhar a full and speedy recovery.”
