Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it is “too early to say” who was behind the failed attempt by the co-pilot to crash a Flydubai plane on Wednesday, as he hailed the actions of the flight's captain.
Netanyahu blamed “fanaticism and hatred of an incalculable level” during a Fox News interview but said he has no confirmation yet of the motive for the attack.
He added that the attacker was being investigated in Saudi Arabia, where he was arrested after the plane made an emergency landing.
He also named the Indian pilot who was stabbed during the attempted hijacking, 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 on Wednesday morning.
Four US-Israeli dual citizens were reportedly among the plane’s passengers.
Key Points
- Netanyahu says it's too early to say if Iran was involved
- Netanyahu names ‘true hero’ Indian pilot who opened cockpit door after being stabbed on flight to Israel
- Trump says Flydubai jet incident was 'perhaps a terrorist or a whack job'
- FlyDubai flights to and from Israel are suspended
- Modi hails Indian pilot who helped avert attempted hijacking
- Israeli officials say incident could be treated as 'terrorist attack' and not mental health issue
Netanyahu says it's too early to say if Iran was involved
06:50 , Shweta Sharma
Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he does not know the “exact background” of the Flydubai copilot who attacked the captain in an apparent attempt to crash the plane, “but he obviously hated Israelis.”
In an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News, he was asked if there is any current indication of Iranian involvement in the attack.
“It’s too early to say,” he said.
“That is fanaticism and hatred of an incalculable level,” he added.
“The attacking pilot is now being investigated in Saudi Arabia. I think he’ll be taken to the Emirates where he comes from – or at least where he flew off from,” he said.
“We’ll be following and also possibly participating in this investigation.”
Captain Smit Machchhar: Modi and Trump hail ‘hero’ Indian pilot who opened cockpit door after being stabbed
06:30 , Shweta Sharma
US president Donald Trump and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi hailed the “hero” pilot who saved passengers from an attempted hijacking.
Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, fought off his co-pilot who stabbed him during an attempted midair attack on a flight to Israel.
Mr Trump said he spoke to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the incident. He hailed Captain Machchhar as a "hero" for fighting off the knife attack from the co-pilot, opening the cockpit door, and calling for help to foil a bid to crash the aircraft.
Modi and Trump hail ‘hero’ Indian pilot who opened cockpit door after being stabbed
Who is Indian pilot Smit Machchhar?
06:05 , Shweta Sharma
An Indian pilot who was repeatedly stabbed by his co-pilot during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv has been hailed as a hero for helping prevent a potentially catastrophic crash involving more than 170 passengers.
Captain Smit Machchhar, who emphasises a “strong focus on safety” on his professional profile, was seriously injured after officials said his co-pilot attacked him with the apparent intention of crashing the aircraft.
Despite his injuries, Machchhar fought back and managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to overpower the alleged attacker.
Machchhar’s family lives in Ghatkopar East, Mumbai, and his parents were flown to Saudi Arabia early on Thursday, local legislator Parag Shah said.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Machchhar has 13 years of experience in commercial aviation. He previously worked for SpiceJet as a senior commander and line training captain before joining Flydubai in 2022.
Machchhar had initially planned to join his family’s textile business and was studying for a management degree with the aim of helping expand it when he stumbled upon an aviation seminar.
“That is where the aviation bug bit me,” he said on a podcast last year.
Netanyahu says Indian pilot 'hit with an axe' during attack
06:00 , Shweta Sharma
Benjamin Netanyahu has said that a “tremendous act of heroism” prevented a repeat of a 9/11-style crash of the Flydubai plane.
Recounting his detailed conversations with the passengers on the plane, Netanyahu told CBS that the plane was heading from Dubai to Israel.
“As they approached Israel, one of the co-pilots stabbed or hit with an axe the other pilot, an Indian pilot.
“And the pilot that was hit, bleeding profusely, fighting for his life, managed to unlock the pilot's door,” he said.
An Israeli passenger sitting in row 18 reportedly heard screaming and rushed towards the cockpit. He was initially thrown aside as the plane plunged, but managed to force his way through the cockpit door.
He said he went through the door and saw the pilot who attacked the other co-pilot was trying to jam the equipment.
“Obviously, it looks like he wanted to obviously bring the whole plane down.
“[He] grabbed him from behind, pulled him back, then unbelievably took the stick, pulled it back. This is not a pilot. This is a plumber.”
The pilot has been identified as captain Smit Machchhar a Mumbai native who lived in Dubai, according to reports.
Indian pilot, others prevented another 9/11: Israel PM
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) October 1, 2026
Israel PM Netanyahu says the Indian pilot was "attacked" by co pilot with an "axe", explaining that Smit "managed to unlock the door".
vdo ctsy: CBS News pic.twitter.com/5m6tCyzIYJ
'We simply said goodbye', woman reveals moments with family during foiled flight attack
05:30 , Shweta Sharma
Hila Gaier, who was on board the Flydubai flight with her daughters and partner, described the tense moments when they all bid goodbye to each other as the hijacking attempt unfolded.
She said her daughters were scared as “complete chaos” broke out during the flight and the plane plunged.
She told Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11 Radio that her daughter was about to go to the restroom when the plane hit what she thought was “insane turbulence.”
“My daughters were hugging me, and we simply said goodbye to each other,” she said.
“I told them, ‘My beloved girls, I love you.’ My partner looked at me and said, ‘I love you.’ We were simply staring death in the face.”
Overhead bins opened, the power went out, and the communications system and screens all went down, Gaier said.
“You have no idea what’s happening, and it just keeps going and going,” she said.
“It’s been a complete nightmare.”She said the plane, carrying families with children, was filled with “terrifying screams”.
All we know about ‘hijacking’ attempt on flight to Israel as suspect arrested
05:03 , James C. Reynolds
A 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 Sharma
Donald 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 Sharma
The 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-Hussain
Modi hails Indian pilot who helped avert attempted hijacking
03:57 , Shweta Sharma
Indian 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 Dobkin
Mike 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 Dobkin
Four 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 Dobkin
FlyDubai 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-Hussain
One 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-Hussain
The 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-Hussain
Israel 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-Hussain
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.
“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-Hussain
FlyDubai 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-Hussain
Watch: Netanyahu hails passengers who foiled cockpit attack on Flydubai flight
Wednesday 30 September 2026 20:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Netanyahu names pilot stabbed on flight
Wednesday 30 September 2026 20:22 , Daniel Keane
Benjamin 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-Hussain
A 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-Hussain
A 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-Hussain
Photos 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
