‘So co-pilot got up to pray’: Indian pilot Machchhar reveals new details to Netanyahu about flydubai cockpit attack | Today’s news

Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar revealed a chilling new detail about the flydubai cockpit attack when he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his co-pilot asked for time to pray before allegedly launching the attack.

Machchhar said he turned away out of respect while the co-pilot prayed. After about four to five minutes, he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head.

The captain’s account emerged during a telephone conversation with Netanyahu on Saturday (4 October) as Machchhar continued to recover in hospital in Abu Dhabi.

“I thought there was catastrophic damage to the plane.

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Captain Smit Machchhar revealed that his co-pilot asked for time to pray before attacking him in the cockpit, which he initially mistook for catastrophic damage to the plane.

Although attacked, Machchhar resisted opening the cockpit door, allowing crew members and passengers to intervene and help stabilize the aircraft during the emergency.

The co-pilot was identified as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national previously feared for holding extremist views, and was arrested and described by authorities as an attempted terrorist act.

Netanyahu hailed Machhar as a hero for his courageous actions during the cockpit attack, which helped save many lives on board the plane.

The aircraft rapidly lost more than 17,000 feet in altitude, sending emergency signals before landing safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after crew and passenger intervention.

Machchhar told Netanyahu that his first reaction to the blow was that something catastrophic had happened to the plane.

“My first thought was that there was catastrophic damage to the plane and something was wrong,” he said.

“That’s when I realized it wasn’t the plane, but the other man who was in the cockpit with me,” Machchhar said.

He said his memory was not very clear due to his injuries, but he remembered trying to open the cockpit door during the attack.

“I have one last fight left,” he said, explaining that he believed he would die if he couldn’t open the door.

“That’s when I went against everything. I gave everything I had and I went to the door and opened the door and luckily people were waiting,” he said.

The attack sparked a dramatic relegation

The incident occurred on board flydubai flight FZ1073, which was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 people on board.

UAE authorities said the co-pilot attempted to carry out a “terrorist act” and attacked Machchhar with the plane’s emergency ax and attempted to take control of the plane.

As the fight developed, the aircraft went into a rapid descent. Flight tracking data showed the plane lost more than 17,000 feet of altitude before the situation was brought under control.

Machchhar’s opening of the cockpit door allowed the passengers and crew to intervene. Other crew members then helped stabilize the plane before making an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Read also | Flydubai incident: Omani pilot stabs Smita Machhar; what are the ties between oman and israel?

Netanyahu calls Indian pilot a ‘real hero’

Netanyahu praised Machchhar during the call, saying his actions saved many lives.

“You are a true hero of the brave nations of India and Israel, and you are a hero of the whole world,” Netanyahu told him.

The Israeli prime minister also invited Machchhar to Israel as a guest of honor.

Netanyahu said he wanted Machchhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light the flame at Israel’s national Independence Day ceremony next May — an honor generally reserved for Israeli citizens.

What happened to the co-pilot?

The co-pilot is in custody in the UAE. UAE investigators have described the incident as an attempted terrorist act, but a final motive has not been determined.

The suspect was identified by several media outlets as Oman’s national Hamam al-Hammami. Reports citing people familiar with the matter claimed that Omani authorities had previously banned him from flying over fears of extremist views. These claims remain part of a wider investigation and need to be distinguished from the UAE’s confirmed preliminary findings.

Netanyahu also claimed that the suspect had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and tried to crash the plane. Investigators are continuing to look into his background, motives and whether anyone else was involved.

Read also | ‘Part of our nation’s story’: Dubai crown prince praises Indian pilot’s courage