Netanyahu invites flydubai captain to Israel after cockpit attack
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited Indian flydubai captain Smit Machchhar to visit 'Israel' as a "guest of honor" following an aborted cockpit attack and 17,000-foot plunge.
- Flight FZ1073 plunged 17,000 feet within a single minute—described by tracking platform data and aviation simulations as feeling like a vertical roller coaster—before control was recovered.
- Two sources identified the co-pilot as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, though Israeli officials stated he is from Oman without naming him directly.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited Indian flydubai captain Smit Machchhar to visit ‘Israel’ as a “guest of honor” following an aborted cockpit attack and 17,000-foot plunge. Captain Smit Machchhar faced a sudden assault when his co-pilot attacked him with an emergency crash axe and a knife during a commercial flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the pilot who saved passengers from an attempted hijacking, with Trump stating in the Oval Office that he spoke to Netanyahu at length about the event and noting that the pilot was in very bad shape. India’s foreign minister, S Jaishankar, praised Captain Machchhar for extraordinary courage and remarkable presence of mind that averted a major tragedy.
Reserve Pilot Lands Plane After Cockpit Attack
Flight FZ1073 plunged 17,000 feet within a single minute—described by tracking platform data and aviation simulations as feeling like a vertical roller coaster—before control was recovered. Despite sustaining multiple physical injuries and heavy bleeding from stab wounds, Captain Machchhar managed to hit the door release mechanism and open the cockpit door before collapsing. My first thought was that there was catastrophic damage to the aircraft,
he said. A reserve flydubai pilot travelling on the flight took control of the aircraft and landed safely at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities detained the co-pilot, transferring him to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
Counterterrorism Units Investigate Co-Pilot Links to Australia
Two sources identified the co-pilot as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, though Israeli officials stated he is from Oman without naming him directly. Netanyahu stated that the co-pilot underwent radical Islamist indoctrination and was suicidal. Multi-agency counterterrorism units, including a Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team comprising federal police, state police, and the ASIO intelligence agency, are investigating the man’s links to Australia. New Zealand police confirmed the co-pilot spent time in the country between November 2018 and May 2019 on a student visa to complete a portion of flight training for a UK-based company. Netanyahu proposed that Captain Machchhar and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi jointly ignite a beacon at ‘Israel’s’ national day official ceremony in May.