Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot for Flydubai Flight FZ1073, as a "true hero" after the pilot fought off his co-pilot who stabbed him mid-flight on Wednesday. The attack occurred about two and a half hours into the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the Omani jihadist co-pilot attempted to sabotage the aircraft controls over Jordanian airspace. Passengers helped subdue the attacker, and an off-duty British pilot executed an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, saving 174 people on board. Netanyahu ordered increased security screening for all flights entering Israeli airspace following this incident.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-30,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv signaled multiple emergency alerts while flying over Jordan, leading it to divert to Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The Israeli Air Force scrambled fighter jets due to initial fears of a hijacking. However, Israeli officials later reported that the incident was caused by a fight between the pilots and not a security threat. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, held emergency consultations regarding the diversion. The plane landed safely with all passengers unharmed; it carried around 150 people, mostly Israelis.
Written for “Israel Bound Flight Diverted” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 283 other(s) covering the same event.
The pilot who fought off his co-pilot who stabbed him during an attempted midair attack on a flight to Israel has been named as Captain Smit Machchhar.
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who → fight → Machchhar
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Cpt Machchhar, an Indian national, as a "true hero" for fighting back against the attacker and opening the cockpit door during the commercial flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
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"My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery," Netanyahu posted on X.
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"Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker."
The attack unfolded on Wednesday morning, roughly two and a half hours into Flydubai Flight FZ1073.
As the Boeing 737 crossed over Jordanian airspace, Machchhar’s co-pilot — who Israeli intelligence believe is an Omani jihadist — launched a knife attack inside the cockpit and attempted to sabotage the flight controls to crash the airliner.
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intelligence → stab → airliner
The aircraft plunged an extraordinary 17,000ft in roughly two minutes.
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aircraft → plunge → minutes
Despite bleeding heavily after sustaining multiple severe stab wounds, Israeli officials said Cpt Machchhar was able to hit the cockpit's door release mechanism before collapsing.
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Machchhar → bleed → mechanism
Several passengers then charged forward to breach the unlocked flight deck, joining crew members to physically restrain the attacker on the floor.
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passengers → charge → floor
"My daughter heard screaming and saw a man with a knife put the pilot on the floor, with blood everywhere," said passenger Yasmin Abu Kasis.
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Kasis → hear → blood
"The plane started to lose control, so all the people were screaming."
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people → start → control
Meital, a passenger whose husband attempted to help, told Israel’s Channel 12: "There were stabbings and a lot of blood.
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husband → attempt → blood
My husband rushed to the front of the plane, and ... neutralised the terrorist."
Control of the aircraft was restored after an off-duty British pilot traveling on board entered the cockpit and executed an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in northeastern Saudi Arabia.
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pilot → rush → Arabia
Local authorities arrested the suspect on the tarmac immediately after touchdown.
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authorities → arrest → touchdown
Both pilots were then hospitalised in Tabuk, where the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia has since confirmed Machchhar underwent emergency surgery and is in stable condition.
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Machchhar → hospitalise → condition
Netanyahu added that Machchhar "saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals," wishing him a full recovery.
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Machchhar → add → recovery
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz formally classified the incident as an attempted "jihadist terrorist attack," stating the suspect intended to crash the plane with everyone on board.
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suspect → classify → board
In response, Netanyahu has ordered security services to immediately tighten screening protocols across all domestic and international carriers entering Israeli airspace.
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The 174 passengers were later flown from Tabuk to Ben Gurion Airport on a replacement aircraft sent by Flydubai, where they were reunited with emotional family members late Wednesday evening.
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they → fly → members
The Israeli prime minister personally met with several of the returning passengers on the tarmac at Ben Gurion, praising their courage and thanking them for intervening.
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minister → meet → them
Flydubai has confirmed that formal investigations into the attacker's underlying motives remain ongoing.
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investigations → confirm → motives
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