In brief
Capt. Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot, was severely wounded when his co‑pilot attempted a hijacking on flight FZ1073 to Tel Aviv. Despite lying on the floor and fighting for his life, he pushed the cockpit door open and helped fellow crew and passengers restrain the attacker. The plane was subsequently diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, saving 170 lives. Indian and Israeli leaders hailed Machchhar’s bravery while investigators probe the motive behind the assault.
Capt. Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot, was stabbed on the ground by his co‑pilot during flight FZ1073 bound for Tel Aviv. The attacker was fighting to crash the aircraft, but thanks to Machchhar’s quick action, passengers and crew moved to subdue him.
Machingar was lying on the floor, badly injured, yet he forced himself to open the cockpit door from inside. He took a “last push,” allowing crew and passengers to escape through the opening before a full emergency could unfold.
“I was fighting for my own life but I was not going to let others die,” he told Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video call, describing the moment he opened the door.
Shortly after the attack began the aircraft sent an emergency signal and coded a hijack squawk of 7500. While the plane fell to an alarming depth of more than 17,000 feet, two on‑board reserve pilots completed the landing at Tabuk Airport in north‑western Saudi Arabia at 06:58 local time.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later confirmed that the attacker was an Omani national and “underwent Islamist radical indoctrination.” He added that the assailant was suicidal, as evidenced by his repeated cries for, “kill me, kill me.”
The United Arab Emirates has launched an investigation into whether the incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose, according to the state news agency.
After the aircraft landed, Machchhar was taken to a hospital in Tabuk, then air‑lifted to Abu Dhabi where he is reported to be in stable condition.
The Indian Embassy in the UAE declared him “in good health and recovering well,” and Ambassador Deepak Mittal praised his bravery.
Social media in India has flooded with praise for Machchhar, who has described his experience as “looking at it as a journey that will take time but will recover.”
Prime Minister Modi lauded his “courage, patience and quick decision‑making” for saving countless lives, adding that the whole country is proud of him.
