By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-10-02 07:46:58 | Updated at 2026-10-02 08:24:11
44 minutes ago
NEW DELHI – The flydubai flight captain who was hospitalised after being stabbed by his co-pilot on a Tel Aviv-bound aircraft is in stable condition and good spirits, said the Indian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
Ambassador Deepak Mittal said Indian pilot Smit Machchhar is recovering well, after meeting him and his family.
“He was speaking openly, smiling and laughing, which was a great relief for us and, above all, for his family,” the envoy said.
Speaking to India’s state-owned public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, Mittal called Machchhar a “brave son of India” and praised his response during the crisis.
Prasar Bharati reported on the morning of Oct 2 that the captain remained stable and was receiving medical care in the UAE.
‘He hit me so many times’
Bloodied and unable to properly close his injured hand, Machchhar is seen lying outside the cockpit of a flydubai aircraft in new footage capturing the immediate aftermath of an alleged attempt by his co-pilot to bring down the passenger jet on Sept 30.
“He hit me so many times,” Machchhar is heard saying in the video aired by Israel’s Channel 12, as passengers call for medical help and demand that the attacker be removed from the cockpit area.
The dramatic footage has offered a new look at what unfolded aboard the Dubai-Tel Aviv service after the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar inside the cockpit as the aircraft approached Israeli airspace.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Machchhar managed to fight off the co-pilot long enough to unlock the cockpit door. Passengers and crew then entered and subdued the attacker, while other aviators aboard took control of the aircraft and made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Footage filmed from near the cockpit captures passengers shouting that someone had “tried to crash the plane” and urging others to remain seated.
As calls went out for medical assistance, dentist Shota Musayev moved forward to provide first aid.
Machchhar, visibly injured, told those around him about the repeated assault and said his injured hand could no longer close properly.
Police arrived after the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia. Passengers can also be heard in the footage describing the co-pilot as a “terrorist”.
Netanyahu has called Machchhar’s actions a “tremendous act of heroism”, saying the captain managed to unlock the cockpit while “fighting for his life”.
Netanyahu says attacker shouted ‘kill me’
Netanyahu has also provided new details about what he said happened after the co-pilot was restrained.
“He is lying on the floor, and he calls out to the crew, ‘kill me, kill me’. So, it is clear that he was suicidal and was going to down the plane,” Netanyahu said.
He had earlier told CBS News that the episode appeared to be a suicide attempt. CBS reported that the motive was still under investigation.
David Mencer, a spokesperson for Netanyahu, separately described testimony from a passenger who entered the cockpit with flight attendants.
“That pilot wasn’t sitting in the pilot’s chair,” Mencer said. “He was standing over the controls. He was using his feet to destroy the controls of the aircraft while he was attacking that Indian pilot.”
“His objective was to bring down that airplane,” he added.
UAE probe examines motive behind attack
The co-pilot’s identity has not been publicly disclosed.
An Omani official confirmed to CBS News that he was born in Oman and holds Omani citizenship, although Oman had not publicly confirmed his nationality at the time of the report.
Netanyahu has said information gathered during questioning led Israeli authorities to believe that the co-pilot had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has described the incident as an “attempted jihadist terror attack”.
US President Donald Trump also raised the possibility of an Iranian connection, saying his assessment was “based on what I’m hearing”.
“We’re working on it right now,” Trump said. “They’re being very open with us. I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes. But we’re working on it right now.”
Netanyahu, however, said it was “too early to say” whether Iran had any involvement.
The suspect has since been transferred to the UAE, where an investigation is under way. Israeli personnel have also been sent to assist the inquiry into whether the co-pilot acted alone or had outside support. THE STATESMAN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
