Alleged flydubai attacker ‘Islamist radical’, Israeli PM says

Questions are mounting over how a mid-air attack on an Israel-bound flight was able to take place despite the country’s highly strict airline protocols.

Disaster was averted by the thinnest of margins after a co-pilot allegedly stabbed his colleague on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv and sent the plane into a nosedive.

The wounded pilot, Smit Machchhar, was able to open the locked cabin door with the last of his strength, allowing passengers to restrain the co-pilot, while off-duty pilots on the plane were on hand to ensure it landed safely in Saudi Arabia.

The co-pilot was arrested, and Saudi authorities this morning said he had been extradited to the United Arab Emirates.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the alleged attacker was an Omani national.

“We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination. That appears to be something we are gathering from his personal information,” he said in an interview with Fox News’ Fox and Friends.

Netanyahu said it was clear that the co-pilot was suicidal.

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“It looks very likely that he was going to down the plane,” Netanyahu said.

Coupled with “the Islamist tendencies, that radicalisation that are found in his background, I think that’s ... a pretty good clue,” he said, without elaborating.

"But again, I don't make final conclusions yet. But that's the indications we have now," he added.

Netanyahu suggested the man might have been armed with a knife or axe.

As Israeli authorities conduct their own investigation, Netanyahu confirmed Israel and the UAE would both be involved in questioning the suspect.

He said Israel had recent intelligence that indicated Iran and its proxy militant groups had planned attacks on Israelis abroad, but that it was “too early to say” if this attack was linked to Iran.

The United Arab Emirates has started investigations seeking to establish the circumstances and motives and determine “whether the incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose, or involved prior planning or direction”, the UAE state news agency reported overnight.

Oman, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, has not commented.

That diplomatic absence is one of the chief questions about how the attack was even possible, as Israel does not permit pilots from nations without Israeli relations to take part in flights in and out of the country.

“We have constraints that say you can’t have pilots from countries that don’t have diplomatic relations with Israel. So obviously he was able to go through that,” Netanyahu told Fox.

Added to that is the question of how the man was able to smuggle a weapon aboard the plane.

Israel enforces some of the strictest aviation security protocols in the world, after facing a history of hijackings and terminal attacks.

Departing passengers are required to undergo pre-screening and questioning, in addition to multiple passport checks, advanced baggage scanning, and, sometimes, full-body screening.

Foreign airlines must obtain approval from Israel’s Aviation Security Operation Center before they can operate to and from the country’s airports.

An Israeli security official told CNN that Israel’s internal security agency, Shin Bet, is also supposed to vet all airlines’ personnel flying into Israel from the UAE.

Investigators will likely explore the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder first, Marco Chan, a senior lecturer in aviation operations at London’s Kingston University, told CNN.

They will also interview the crew, the off-duty pilots and passengers, and determine how the cockpit door was opened, how the weapon came to be on board, and the pilot’s medical and training history, he said.

Hero pilot hailed around the world

Captain Machchhar’s actions aboard the flydubai flight saw him called a hero by world leaders and others who knew him, including his former flight instructor in New Zealand.

Machchhar, who is married and has two children, trained as a pilot at Mainland Air in Dunedin for 18 months, beginning in 2008, the school’s head Philip Kean told TV news channel 1News.

Kean said Machchhar "did very well” as a student and later returned to India, where he worked as a recruiter for the school.

“We’re all very proud of him here and wish him a speedy recovery,” Kean said.

In a separate interview, Kean said he was proud of how his student navigated the complex situation.

"I was really pleased to read how he handled the situation, the best way he could with a knife in your side," Kean told radio station RNZ.

Kean told CNN when Machchhar arrived in the southern city of Dunedin, aged about 19, “he was always sort of a jovial young man and he tried hard”.

Watching the news of Machchhar’s heroic actions on the flydubai flight, his former instructor was full of praise for the young man he had once taught.

“It was an amazing feat,” Kean told CNN.

“There could have been a whole airplane load of people wiped out in a matter of seconds, and luckily they got the door open… luckily he could hang on and save the day. Another half a minute would have been all over.”

“I’m very proud,” he added. “I’m very proud that he handled that situation… It’s great the way it turned out.”

Kean also praised those who helped the plane recover from its rapid descent.

“It’s a long way to drop. It’s lucky it didn’t fall apart, those pilots did a great job at recovering the plane,” he told the New Zealand Herald.

It’s been reported one of the off-duty pilots at the back of the plane who helped land the aircraft safely was a New Zealand citizen (the other being a South African citizen), but New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been unable to confirm this.

According to Machchhar’s LinkedIn profile, he has worked for FlyDubai for about four years. Before joining the airline, he spent 11 years with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, where he served as a senior commander and line training captain. He logged more than 9750 flying hours with SpiceJet, according to the profile.

SpiceJet, in a post on X, praised Machchhar’s “heroic courage” and “selfless actions”.

“You are a hero to us all, Captain,” the airline wrote.

Machchhar, 39, who hails from India’s financial hub of Mumbai, was seriously injured in Wednesday’s attack.

Machchhar had suffered “massive blood loss” and was “severely wounded,” dentist Shota Musaev, a passenger on the flight who helped treat him, told CNN.

“I think that if we had waited even a few more moments, we would have lost him; his blood pressure had plummeted, he suddenly lost consciousness, and there was blood everywhere,” he said.

Machchhar was taken to a hospital in stable condition, the Indian embassy in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, said late on Wednesday (Thursday AEST). He was then transported to the United Arab Emirates.

Embassy officials said on Thursday that his family had been briefed on his recovery. Machchhar’s parents travelled to Dubai to be with him, a representative for the area in Mumbai the family is from told CNN.

Passengers described how the pilot still managed to open the cockpit door to let them in. They restrained the attacker while the Boeing 737 descended sharply, according to witnesses and Israeli authorities.

Yaniv Hayun, one of the men who incapacitated the attacker, described running to the cockpit as the plane nosedived.

"We pulled the assailant out, I pulled him out. After I pulled him out we took control of the plane, I pulled up the yoke (steering control of the plane), I straightened the plane out a bit," he said, talking to reporters upon his return to Israel on Wednesday.

Pilot spoke previously about handling emergencies

In a podcast interview last year, Machchhar recalled how nervous he was and how he made mistakes during his first commercial flight in India, and the lessons he learnt from the experience.

“At that stage, relaxing would have been the best option,” he told interviewer Zalak Mehta of the Bona-Fide Banter podcast.

“Stressing is not going to help, at least … in this industry,” he added.

Machchhar also described an onboard emergency when a pregnant woman went into premature labour, forcing the crew to divert the plane. He said he followed procedures carefully and ensured a safe landing on the first attempt.

“It was methodical. It was quick. It was as quick as it should have been," he said.

In the 2025 episode of the podcast series, Machchhar also revealed becoming a pilot wasn’t his “childhood dream” after being born into a family in the textile business.

He’d initially enrolled in a textile engineering course after school.

“I finished the entire course, I still was young so wanted to (do) a little more studies,” he said.

Once he decided on flying, his training took him to New Zealand's south.

India’s Modi lauds pilot’s courage, as do his neighbours

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called Machchhar 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. His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy,” Modi wrote on X.

Modi also praised the captain for demonstrating ”patience, presence of mind and courage,” saying his “actions prevented another 9/11-like attack from happening." He said he had spoken with Machhar's parents and wife and that the pilot was undergoing treatment.

“Smit’s bravery fills every Indian with pride,” Modi said.

In Ghatkopar East, the Mumbai suburb where Machchhar’s family lives, neighbours spoke of how easy-going he is and also lauded his courage.

“He has a lot of bravery in him,” said Ami Sapani, a neighbour who knows the family. “God is with him.”

A crowd of supporters have also gathered in Ghatkopar East, the eastern Mumbai suburb where Machchhar’s family lives. They were waving Indian flags and photos of the hero pilot.

“It is a very precious moment and proud moment for a country like us that we have been through, you know, lot of hustles,” Rahul Pandey, one of those gathered there, told CNN.

“Smit Machchhar is a talented, soft-spoken, kind-hearted and a person with good nature,” said Jinat Shah, who used to live next door to him in Mumbai before the pilot moved to Dubai.

“He is an incredible person, and I hope for his fast recovery,” Shah told Indian news agency ANI.

Those who know him as well as strangers have also gathered in his home town to celebrate his bravery.

Kaushik Gandhi, who lives in the same building as Machchhar’s parents, told CNN the pilot was always smiling and happy, a real “gentleman”.

He described Machchhar as “first class” and said he would always say hello when visiting.

“Our entire India should be proud … he has brought glory to India’s name everywhere in the world,” Gandhi told CNN, adding he was “thumping (his) chest” in pride.

- Reported with Associated Press, CNN and Reuters.