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FlyDubai captain tells India's leader how he saved himself and 173 others while fighting for his own life
CBS News • • world
Key Points:
- FlyDubai flight captain Smit Machchhar, despite multiple stab wounds from an attack by his co-pilot, managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to subdue the attacker and likely saving all 174 people on board.
- Machchhar credited his faith and Hindu religious chants for giving him the courage to act during the life-threatening incident, expressing pride and confidence in his recovery during a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- The co-pilot, who attacked the captain, was transferred from Saudi Arabia to the UAE for questioning by Israeli, UAE, and Saudi officials; he is an Omani citizen and reportedly underwent Islamist radicalization.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the attacker intended to crash the plane and suggested possible dispatch by others, promising severe consequences for those responsible.
- Former U.S. President Donald Trump indicated the co-pilot may have links to Iran and possibly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, though investigations are ongoing and definitive conclusions have not been made.
