Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has named the pilot who was stabbed during the attempted hijacking of the FlyDubai flight, calling him a “true hero”.
In a post on X, he wrote: “My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery. Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster”.
Terrified passengers travelling on Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Israel described bloody scenes as the plane descended approximately 13,000 feet in 30 seconds during the chaos Wednesday morning. Four US-Israeli dual citizens were reportedly among the plane’s passengers.
One passenger named Yaniv told Netanyahu that he put the alleged attempted hijacker “in a chokehold”.
He said "before he [the stabbed pilot] collapsed" he managed to open the door to the cockpit, adding: “I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and pulled him — first and foremost — outside."
Yaniv then said he "pulled the controls [of the plane]" to level the plane out, before the stabbed pilot took control.
The suspected hijacker has been arrested and is being interrogated by Saudi authorities.
Read MoreTerror at 34,000ft: All we know about ‘hijacking’ attempt on flight to Israel as suspect arrested
Pilot stabs co-pilot in attempted hijacking of Israel flight – before hero passengers avert disaster
Key Points
- Netanyahu names ‘true hero’ pilot who opened cockpit door after being stabbed
- Passenger put attacker in a chokehold and took plane controls after pilot was stabbed
- FlyDubai flights to and from Israel are suspended
- Four Americans were aboard Israel-bound plane: reports
- Pilot ‘stabbed co-pilot in attempted hijacking’ on Israel-bound plane
- Mapped: Journey of flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv
All we know about ‘hijacking’ attempt on flight to Israel as suspect arrested
05:03 , James C. ReynoldsA pilot on an Israel-bound flight stabbed another pilot and may have deliberately tried to crash the plane before passengers wrestled back control and the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when it suddenly plummeted 14,000ft in less than 30 seconds, before putting out an emergency signal and changing course over Jordan.
Israeli officials said the co-pilot of the Boeing 737 plane is believed to have stabbed the captain in a possible attempted ‘terror attack’ with around 150 Israeli passengers on board.
The incident has heightened security fears in Israel weeks before Israelis vote in the first election since the Hamas-led October 7 attack, with security a defining issue.
Read on...
All we know about ‘hijacking’ attempt on board flight to Israel as suspect detained
Trump says Flydubai jet incident was 'perhaps a terrorist or a whack job'
04:42 , Shweta SharmaDonald Trump has suggested the co-pilot involved in an incident aboard a Flydubai passenger aircraft may have been a “terrorist” or was acting irrationally, as he recounted an extraordinary version of events relayed to him by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The US president told reporters on Wednesday that he had spoken to Netanyahu about the incident, which reportedly involved a confrontation between the pilots of a flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
“I think it’s an incredible story,” Trump said.
He claimed it appeared the “co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist, or perhaps a whack-job, and he stabbed the pilot”.
Trump then recounted an account he said he received from Netanyahu involving an Israeli plumber who had no experience flying an aircraft but intervened after hearing screams and realising something was wrong in the cockpit.
“Having never flown a plane, he took the stick, lifted it up, and levelled out the plane before it crashed,” Trump said.
The president acknowledged that he could not independently confirm the account.“Now this is the story that I heard. I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s the story that I got from Bibi,” he said.
Trump said Netanyahu told him the passenger knew what to do because he regularly watched the television programme Air Disasters.
“When asked why he did that, he said, ‘He watches that show Air Disasters,’” Trump said, adding that the passenger had apparently learned “sort of how to fly” from the programme.
Reports said the confrontation triggered a hijacking code before the aircraft eventually landed in Saudi Arabia.
Israeli officials say incident could be treated as 'terrorist attack' and not mental health issue
04:30 , Shweta SharmaThe co-pilot of a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv is believed to have stabbed the captain in a possible attempted "terror attack" on Wednesday, forcing the plane to divert to Saudi Arabia where it landed safely, three Israeli officials said.
They said the cabin crew entered the cockpit and took control of flydubai flight FZ1073 from the United Arab Emirates to Israel, which diverted to Saudi Arabia as it flew over Jordanian airspace. One of the officials identified the attacker as an Omani national.
An Israeli official had earlier told Reuters the plane transmitted emergency signals after the pilots got into a physical altercation with each other.
Around the time the plane landed in Saudi Arabia, Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office, told Reuters the incident was not believed to have been a hijacking, describing it as a "different incident".
The Israeli officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to brief reporters, said Israel's current assessment is that the incident was an attempted "terror attack" and not related to any kind of mental health issue with either of the pilots.
Watch: Passengers film moments after suspected hijacking on Israel-bound flight
04:03 , Maryam Zakir-HussainModi hails Indian pilot who helped avert attempted hijacking
03:57 , Shweta SharmaIndian prime minister Narendra Modi has become the latest to praise the flight captain Smit Machchhar for his bravery during the FlyDubai flight.
“Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO. In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others,” Modi said.
“His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy. India is proud of Captain Machchhar. Praying for his speedy recovery, renewed strength and good health.”
Machchhar is believed to have been seriously injured after he was attacked by the other pilot, but the captain succeeded in opening the cockpit door so that passengers could get inside and prevent a disaster.
The plane eventually made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 1, 2026
In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others.
His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy.
India is proud of…
US ambassador to Israel celebrates 'hero' pilot who fought off attempted hijacker
02:58 , Rachel DobkinMike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, has celebrated the Indian pilot who fought off an attempted hijacker on a FlyDuabi flight Wednesday as a “hero”.
Captain Smit Machchhar “is a hero & being celebrated all over Israel tonight,” Huckabee wrote on X.
Four Americans were aboard Israel-bound plane: reports
02:11 , Rachel DobkinFour Americans were aboard the Israel-bound plane that a pilot allegedly attempted to hijack Wednesday, according to reports.
The four passengers on the Flydubai flight were US-Israeli dual citizens, US officials told CNN and NewsNation.
FlyDubai flights to and from Israel are suspended
02:10 , Rachel DobkinFlyDubai Airlines has suspended all its flights to and from Israel after a pilot allegedly attempted to hijack one of its planes Wednesday.
What to know about the terrifying FlyDubai flight forced to land in Saudi Arabia
01:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainOne pilot stabs another as he attempts to take control of a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel with the aim of crashing it, according to Israel's prime minister.
Passengers, many of whom are Israelis, fear for their lives as the FlyDubai aircraft loses half its altitude in about a minute.
As Israel scrambles fighter jets out of concern for a possible hijacking, a passenger and crew member break into the cockpit to subdue the attacker and other crew members gain control of the aircraft, which lands safely in Saudi Arabia.
What to know about the terrifying FlyDubai flight forced to land in Saudi Arabia
Netanyahu names ‘true hero’ Indian pilot who opened cockpit door after being stabbed on flight to Israel
Thursday 1 October 2026 00:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe 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.
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.
"My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery," Netanyahu posted on X. "Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker."
Netanyahu names ‘true hero’ Indian pilot attacked and stabbed in flight to Israel
Israel to ramp up pilot checks
Wednesday 30 September 2026 22:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainIsrael is set to ramp up security checks on pilots flying into the country, a spokesperson for the prime minister's office said, after it said a co-pilot on a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv had stabbed the pilot and attempted to crash the plane.
The incident has sharpened questions about how pilots are vetted and what sorts of security protocols they face, including but not limited to the Middle East, according to government officials and aviation analysts.
Israel's government frequently urges Israelis and Jews to remain vigilant when travelling outside Israel, amid concerns that they could be targeted.
This comes as antisemitism has surged globally in recent years, including violent and sometimes deadly attacks against Jews.
"Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots' identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check," Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office, told Reuters.
He said Netanyahu had instructed authorities to "ramp up security" on flights to Israel operated by Israeli and non-Israeli carriers.
"Anywhere that an Israeli is going to be flying into Israel. Our job right now is to do our best - even if they're not on Israeli airlines - to make sure that those security procedures are much higher," Spielman said. The UAE civil aviation regulator, the GCAA, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on how its pilots are vetted.
Netanyahu names ‘true hero’ pilot who opened cockpit door after being stabbed
Wednesday 30 September 2026 21:28 , Maryam Zakir-HussainBenjamin Netanyahu has named the pilot who was stabbed during the attempted hijacking of the FlyDubai flight, calling him a “true hero”.
In a post on X, he wrote: “My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery. Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster.
“He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals.
“I wish Captain Machchhar a speedy and full recovery. He is a true hero.”
My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery.
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) September 30, 2026
Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air…
Breaking: FlyDubai flights to and from Israel to be suspended
Wednesday 30 September 2026 21:01 , Maryam Zakir-HussainFlyDubai flights to and from Israel will be suspended while the investigation continues, the airline has said in a statement.
Full clip: Passengers on diverted Israel-bound flight aid bloodied men
Wednesday 30 September 2026 21:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainWatch: Netanyahu hails passengers who foiled cockpit attack on Flydubai flight
Wednesday 30 September 2026 20:45 , Maryam Zakir-HussainNetanyahu names pilot stabbed on flight
Wednesday 30 September 2026 20:22 , Daniel KeaneBenjamin Netanyahu has named the pilot stabbed onboard the flight as Captain Smit Machchhar.
In a post on X, the Israeli PM wrote: “My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery.
“Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster.
“He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals.
“I wish Captain Machchhar a speedy and full recovery.
“He is a true hero.”
Terror at 34,000ft: All we know about ‘hijacking’ attempt on flight to Israel as suspect arrested
Wednesday 30 September 2026 19:34 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA pilot on an Israel-bound flight stabbed another pilot and may have deliberately tried to crash the plane before passengers wrestled back control and the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when it suddenly plummeted 14,000ft in less than 30 seconds, before putting out an emergency signal and changing course over Jordan.
Israeli officials said the co-pilot of the Boeing 737 plane is believed to have stabbed the captain in a possible attempted ‘terror attack’ with around 150 Israeli passengers on board.
James C. Reynolds reports:
All we know about ‘hijacking’ attempt on board flight to Israel as suspect detained
Passenger put attacker in a chokehold and took plane controls after pilot was stabbed
Wednesday 30 September 2026 18:57 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA passenger told Benjamin Netanyahu that he put the hijacker “in a chokehold” to save the flight from crashing.
In a conversation with the Israeli prime minister, a passenger, Yaniv, explained what happened.
In a video posted on social media, the passenger is seen telling Netanyahu: "The pilot who was stabbed was simply very close to the door, so it was hard for us to open it."
But he says "before he (the stabbed pilot) collapsed" he managed to open the door.
"When I entered, I saw the attacker on the instruments, between the two seats... there were no pilots in the seats.
"One was down, one was on the instruments. And another guy came in with me. I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and pulled him - first and foremost - outside."
He says the attacker was "trying to destroy the instruments in order to disable the plane".
יניב, אתה גיבור אמיתי. אנחנו עם של אריות! pic.twitter.com/55AgmAvzIG
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) September 30, 2026
Netanyahu embraces passenger who 'burst into cockpit' on flight
Wednesday 30 September 2026 18:47 , Maryam Zakir-HussainPhotos of Benjamin Netanyahu meeting the passenger who “burst into the cockpit on the flight from Dubai to Israel” were posted on the Israeli prime minister’s X account.
The PM is seen embracing the passenger in one photo, while in another, the passenger is showing Netanyahu his sock covered in blood.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at Ben-Gurion International Airport with Yaniv, the passenger who burst into the cockpit on the flight from Dubai to Israel.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) September 30, 2026
Photos: Kobi Gideon (GPO) pic.twitter.com/PcCNzKLUKj
Pilot stabs co-pilot in attempted hijacking of Israel flight - before hero passengers avert disaster
Wednesday 30 September 2026 18:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA pilot who stabbed his co-pilot on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv in an attempted hijacking wanted to crash the plane and kill everyone on board, Israel has said.
Israeli intelligence believe the pilot is an Omani jihadist who wanted to carrying out a midair terror attack, that was only prevented by the brave intervention of passengers on the Flydubai flight. An off duty British pilot also stepped in to help land the plane safely in Saudi Arabia after chaos broke out in the cabin on Wednesday.
With their clothes still covered in blood, a number of the 180 people on board described the terrifying ordeal after the plane veered off course and dramatically descended around 17,000 feet in two minutes.
Alex Croft reports:
Pilot stabs co-pilot in Israel flight hijack - before passengers avert disaster
In pictures: Passengers exit Ben Gurion International Airport
Wednesday 30 September 2026 18:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainPhotos show passengers leaving Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod.
In pictures: Passengers from FlyDubai flight reunited with families
Wednesday 30 September 2026 17:39 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe passengers from the FlyDubai flight were greeted by their families, waiting with balloons and flowers, in a designated area set up especially for them in the domestic arrivals hall.
US coordinating very closely with counterparts overseas on flydubai incident, attorney general says
Wednesday 30 September 2026 17:03 , Maryam Zakir-HussainUS Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Wednesday that the US was coordinating "very closely" with counterparts overseas, including Israel, regarding the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv that was diverted.
Netanyahu declares attack a 'highly severe security incident'
Wednesday 30 September 2026 16:30 , Maira ButtDescribing the event as “a highly severe security incident,” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saudi authorities would interrogate the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 from the United Arab Emirates to Israel.
An Israeli official identified the attacker as an Omani national who was arrested after the plane landed, Netanyahu said.
“All passengers are out of harm's way,” Netanyahu, who described the passengers as being almost all Israeli, said in a video statement released by his office.
The Israeli leader quoted a passenger as saying that passengers along with a member of the crew broke into the cockpit after the aircraft “entered a tailspin and began to dive” and found the co-pilot “trying to sabotage the plane's systems.”
“They saved many lives. They prevented a heavy disaster,” he said.
In pictures: Broken rudder of FlyDubai plane after 'hijacking' incident forces emergency landing
Wednesday 30 September 2026 16:15 , Maira Butt
