ABC News (US)
· collected 2026-10-01 · by Tom Soufi Burridge, Patrick Reevell, Jordana Miller, Alessandro Pavone, Ivan Pereira
Dr. Shota Musaev, an Israeli dentist, helped save the life of FlyDubai Flight 1073's captain after the co-pilot attacked him with a knife during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Musaev and other passengers subdued the attacker and tended to Captain Smit Machchhar’s injuries, which included wounds to his head, neck, and hands. The plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia about 40 minutes after the incident began; Captain Machchhar is now recovering in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-01,
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 an emergency over Jordanian airspace, leading it to divert and land at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. The plane had initially transmitted distress signals before switching to codes indicating possible hijacking but reverted back to general emergency alerts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened urgent consultations regarding the incident, with Israel's air force scrambling jets due to initial fears of a hijack attempt. However, security officials later revealed that the alert was triggered by a physical altercation between the pilots rather than a hijacking threat; all passengers were reported safe upon landing.
Written for “Israel Bound Flight Diverted” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 298 other(s) covering the same event.
FlyDubai flight passenger details treating wounded pilot after tying up suspect
Dr. Shota Musaev said he feared the pilot might not survive.
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pilot → treat → pilot
In a flash, Israeli dentist Dr. Shota Musaev went from being another passenger aboard FlyDubai Flight 1073 to a quick-thinking hero who helped save the life of the jet's captain after he was attacked inside the cabin.
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he → go → cabin
Musaev told ABC News on Thursday that when he and a group of passengers rushed to the cockpit after Capt. Smit Machchhar was attacked, he did not hesitate to do something.
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he → tell → something
"I think, how [can] I help this situation for all [the passengers for all plane.
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I → think → plane
How I can help," he told ABC News in an interview at his home in Tel Aviv.
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he → help → Aviv
"And I see one pilot on the floor, with … blood."
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I → see → blood
An unidentified co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar with a knife and took the plane into a nose dive in an attempt to crash the plane during its flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israeli officials said.
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officials → attack → Aviv
Another passenger, Yaniv Hayun was able to drag the suspect from the cockpit, took control of the plane and leveled it before a third pilot took over and flew the jet to Saudi Arabia, according to other passengers.
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pilot → drag → passengers
After the plane was leveled, Musaev said he saw the suspect and, with another passenger, tied the suspect's hands up with headphones.
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he → level → headphones
The dentist said the suspect, who is now in custody , said little other than that he was from Oman and then told him "Kill me, kill me, please."
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he → say → me
"Once he had been subdued, caught, he didn't resist," Musaev said.
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Musaev → subdue → ?
The dentist said he quickly turned his attention to Capt. Machchhar, who was bleeding from wounds to his head, neck and hands.
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who → say → head
Musaev said he began applying pressure to the wounds to stop the bleeding.
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he → say → bleeding
"Everything will be good," Musaev said he told the pilot as he treated him.
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he → say → him
"He said to me, 'Help me, please.
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He → say → me
I don't want to die here.'
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I → want → ?
The plane landed in Saudi Arabia, where the passengers were given medical treatment.
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passengers → land → treatment
The whole ordeal lasted around 40 minutes, Musaev said.
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Musaev → last → minutes
He said on Thursday he was still only understanding what they had been through.
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they → say → what
“Do you understand we were five to ten seconds from dying?” he said, choking up.
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he → understand → ?
Captain Machchhar was treated at a local hospital in Saudi Arabia and has now been transferred to another hospital in the United Arab Emirates, according to the Indian consulate in Dubai.
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Machchhar → treat → Dubai
"He was speaking openly, smiling and laughing, which was a great relief for us and, above all, for his family," the Indian ambassador said in a statement Thursday.
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ambassador → speak → statement
The co-pilot is in custody in Abu Dhabi, according to officials from Saudi Arabia
Musaev said he hoped to reunite with the captain one day and express his gratitude for saving him and his fellow passengers despite his injuries.
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he → accord → injuries
"We'll say thank you very much for all," he said, adding that it was a collective effort in handling the situation.
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it → say → situation
The Aporia
