Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the co-pilot who attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination” and intended to bring down the aircraft. Machchhar, bleeding heavily after the cockpit assault, managed to unlock the cockpit door, helping passengers and off-duty pilots intervene and save 174 people as the jet plunged over Saudi Arabia.
‘Kill me, kill me’: Netanyahu gives new account of flydubai attack
Netanyahu told Fox News that the co-pilot was being questioned and that Israeli investigators had joined the inquiry. “The attacker, the co-pilot who attacked the captain, is now being interrogated. What we know so far is that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination,” Netanyahu said.
He said the initial information available to Israel indicated that the man wanted to bring down the aircraft. “They had to use earphone cords to tie his hands and then used plastic cuffs. 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 told Fox and Friends.
The motive has not been formally established. As per news reports, the investigators were examining possible terrorist links and premeditation. No evidence of involvement by a foreign actor had been established. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have opened investigations into the incident.
Smit Machchhar’s cockpit decision gave passengers a way in
Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30 when the cockpit confrontation began. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft dropping by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds. It transmitted the emergency code 7700 and later 7500, the international code for unlawful interference.
Netanyahu said Machchhar was badly injured during the attack. “The pilot who was hit, bleeding profusely and fighting for his life, managed to unlock the cockpit door, but the plane was going into a nosedive,” he said.
Opening that door gave people in the cabin access to the flight deck. Passengers subdued the co-pilot and reserve crew helped regain control. The Boeing 737 subsequently diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where everyone aboard was accounted for safely.
Netanyahu called Machchhar’s action “a tremendous act of heroism that prevented another 9/11 style crash of an entire airplane”.
Gujarat announces award and Rs 25 lakh for Smit Machchhar
The story has now moved from the cockpit to Machchhar’s recovery. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced that the Gujarat-origin pilot will receive the Visisht Gujarat Garima Award. A Rs 25 lakh cash prize has also been announced for him.
Patel said Machchhar had saved 174 passengers despite being badly injured and praised his courage. Prayers have also been held at Somnath for his recovery.
Machchhar received initial treatment in Saudi Arabia and was transferred on Thursday for further medical care in the UAE.
Saudi Arabia’s National Transport Safety Center has opened a safety investigation into the emergency landing. The UAE has also ordered an investigation, as authorities work to establish the sequence inside the cockpit and the motive behind the attack.
