UAE President’s adviser calls flydubai flight incident a ‘terrorist act’, hails Indian pilot Smit Machchhar as a ‘true hero’

A senior official from the United Arab Emirates UAE on Friday described the incident aboard a flydubai flight bound for Israel on Wednesday as a ldquoterrorist actrdquo and praised Indian Captain Smit Machchhar for helping prevent the aircraft from crashing after he was attacked by his copilot news agency AFP reportedPresidential adviser Anwar Gargash said Machchhar was a ldquotrue herordquo who deserved ldquoevery appreciationrdquo for his actions during the midair crisisldquoIn confronting a serious terrorist act and a potential disaster he embodied the true meaning of courage and responsibilityrdquo Gargash said in a post on X hellipmdash AnwarGargash October 2 2026Gargash also stressed the need for continued vigilance against extremism and terrorism as investigations into the incident continue in the UAEThe flydubai aircraft was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when the Omani copilot allegedly attacked Machchhar inside the cockpit The aircraft was subsequently diverted and made an emergency landing in Tabuk Saudi Arabia after passengers and crew intervened and helped restrain the attackerThe exact circumstances of the incident and the motive of the copilot remain under investigation The copilot has been transferred to the UAE where authorities are investigating the caseNetanyahu warns of lsquovery heavy pricersquoMeanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would impose a ldquovery heavy pricerdquo on any power found to be behind the flydubai incident news agency AFP reportedldquoWe are investigating whether he was sent and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy pricerdquo Netanyahu said in a video message referring to the copilot The remarks did not establish that any country or outside organisation was responsible for the incident pictwittercomC4sDXRuR2rmdash Benjamin Netanyahu netanyahu October 2 2026The UAE has launched an investigation into the incident including the circumstances surrounding the alleged attack and whether it involved terrorist intent The investigation remains ongoingThe incident has also prompted renewed scrutiny of aviation security particularly the potential risks posed by threats originating from within an aircraftrsquos crew Investigators are examining the events inside the cockpit the copilotrsquos actions and the circumstances that led to the emergency landing in Saudi ArabiaCaptain Smit Machchhar recounts cockpit struggleMachchhar who was injured during the attack spoke publicly about the incident for the first time on Friday Recalling the moments when the aircraft was in danger the Indian captain said he realised that the plane was going down and made a final effort to reach the cockpit doorMachchhar said he made ldquoone last pushrdquo to unlock the door despite being attacked allowing passengers and crew members to enter the cockpit and intervene His account was given while he was recovering in a hospital in the UAEThe captainrsquos actions enabled others onboard to intervene and helped allow another team of pilots to take control of the aircraft before it was safely diverted to Saudi Arabia The incident involved 174 passengers and eight crew members according to reportsMachchhar has since received praise from officials in India Israel and the UAE for his actions during the attack Gargash described him as a ldquotrue herordquo while highlighting the captainrsquos courage and sense of responsibilityFor Machchhar the immediate focus remains recovery Indiarsquos Ambassador to the UAE Deepak Mittal said the captain was stable and recovering well in a UAE hospital after the attackWith AFP and ANI inputs