WorldPosted at: Oct 2 2026 7:26PM


UAE presidential adviser calls flydubai cockpit incident 'terrorist act', praises Indian captain

Abu Dhabi, Oct 2 (UNI) UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash on Friday described the incident aboard a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv as a "terrorist act" and praised Indian captain Smit Machchhar for his handling of the emergency.
"Indian captain Smit Machchhar deserves every appreciation," Gargash said in a post on X, calling the pilot a "true hero."
"In confronting a serious terrorist act and a potential disaster, he embodied the true meaning of courage and responsibility," Gargash said, praising Machchhar's professionalism and "moral sense in the darkest circumstances."
Flydubai flight FZ1073, carrying 174 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted on Wednesday after an altercation occurred in the cockpit. The aircraft was granted permission to make an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai said the crew secured the aircraft following the cockpit altercation before diverting safely to Saudi Arabia.
Airport officials said the captain and first officer were injured in the incident and taken to a hospital for treatment.
All passengers and crew members were reported safe and accounted for following the emergency diversion.
Moreover, the Omani co-pilot accused of stabbing Captain Smit Machchhar aboard a FlyDubai flight had reportedly discussed killing Jews on social media and asked Emirati crew members to kill him, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel.
The official said the suspect's social media accounts showed signs of an Islamist and jihadist mindset, adding that investigators are probing whether he intended to bring down the aircraft, indicating it might be an attempt for a suicide attack.
The UAE has ordered an investigation into the stabbing of the Flydubai captain, with authorities examining whether the incident was linked to "terrorist activity" or had been planned in advance.
UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi ordered the probe into the incident aboard Flight FZ1073 after the aircraft was diverted to Tabuk.
The investigation will examine the circumstances and motives behind the attack, including whether it had any connection to "terrorist activity" or involved prior planning or direction, the UAE state news agency reported. UNI AAB
Tags: #UAE presidential adviser calls flydubai cockpit incident 'terrorist act'# praises Indian captain
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