FlyDubai captain recounts survival after co-pilot attack during video call with Indian prime minister
The captain of FlyDubai flight 1073 described how he stopped a co-pilot attack that endangered 174 passengers, speaking from a Saudi hospital to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while authorities investigate the assailant’s motives.
The captain of FlyDubai flight 1073, Smit Machchhar, told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video call from a Saudi hospital that he managed to open the cockpit door after being stabbed by the co-pilot, allowing passengers to subdue the attacker and preventing a possible crash of the Boeing 737 carrying 174 people. Machchhar said he repeated Hindu chants during the incident and expressed confidence in his recovery.
Modi asked about Machchhar’s condition, to which the captain replied that he felt “all good” and was focused on recovery. Modi wished him a swift return to health.
The co-pilot, whose identity has not been released, was transferred from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates for questioning by Israeli, UAE and Saudi officials. Israeli officials described the attacker as having undergone Islamist radicalization and indicated an investigation into possible external sponsorship.
U.S. President Donald Trump later suggested a possible link between the attacker and Iran, noting that investigators were “working on it.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was still too early to confirm any Iranian involvement.