NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian airline captain was at the controls of a Flydubai flight Wednesday when a copilot stabbed him in an apparent attempt to crash the plane, with his actions to thwart the disaster drawing praise from world leaders.
Capt. Smit Machchhar, who hails from India’s financial capital Mumbai, was seriously injured as passengers rushed into the cockpit and restrained the attacker while the Boeing 737 descended sharply, according to witnesses
and Israeli authorities.
The flight carrying 174 people from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Tel Aviv, Israel, made an emergency landing in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Machchhar was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh said late Wednesday, adding that embassy officials were in contact with his family and Saudi authorities.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called Machchhar a “hero.”
“In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. His valor helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy,” Modi wrote on X.
Little is publicly known about Machchhar, but according to his LinkedIn profile, he has worked for Flydubai for about four years. Before joining the airline, he spent 11 years with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, where he served as a senior commander and line training captain.
He has logged more than 9,750 flying hours, according to the profile.
Israeli authorities scrambled fighter jets in case of a possible hijacking. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker, an Omani national, was arrested in Saudi Arabia and undergoing interrogation there. His motive was not immediately clear.
Netanyahu praised Machchhar’s “extraordinary bravery” in a post on X, saying the wounded captain fought back after being stabbed, opened the cockpit door and helped passengers and crew overpower the attacker, preventing what Netanyahu described as a “catastrophic midair disaster.”
“He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals,” Netanyahu wrote.
