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Flydubai latest: Identity and motive of the pilot who allegedly carried out the attack unclear
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- Captain Smit Machchhar, who trained as a pilot in New Zealand, was hailed as a hero after being stabbed mid-flight on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, preventing a potential disaster.
- The attacker, reportedly an Omani national, was detained by Saudi authorities, and the incident is being investigated as an attempted terrorist attack with no confirmed motive.
- The flight issued a distress call and squawked the hijack code before passengers and crew restrained the attacker, while reserve pilots took control and safely landed the plane in Saudi Arabia.
- Passengers described the ordeal as terrifying, with the plane plummeting 17,400 feet and scenes of chaos and blood onboard, fearing for their lives throughout the incident.
- Flydubai flights to and from Israel have been temporarily suspended, and Israeli and UAE officials have agreed to cooperate against extremist threats following the event.
