Who is the FlyDubai captain hailed a hero after cockpit stabbing?

The FlyDubai captain who was stabbed by his co-pilot on an Israel-bound flight Wednesday is being hailed as a hero after he opened the cockpit door, allowing pᴀssengers and crew to rush in and subdue the alleged attacker.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Capt. Smit Machchhar “prevented a 9/11 disaster.”

“My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office. “Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled pᴀssengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster.”

Machchhar, a 39-year-old father of two, was seriously wounded and suffered “mᴀssive blood loss,” SH๏τa Muszev, a dentist who was among the pᴀssengers and 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,” Muszev said.

The Indian Embᴀssy in Riyadh said Machchhar was receiving medical care at a hospital in Saudi Arabia and was in stable condition.

Machchhar’s LinkedIn profile shows he worked for Indian carrier SpiceJet for 11 years before joining FlyDubai, rising to the position of senior commander.

Pᴀssengers rush into cockpit

More than 170 people were aboard the flight when tracking data showed it plunging 17,400 feet in less than two minutes.

After a pᴀssenger saw the co-pilot stab Machchhar and called for help, Israeli plumber Yaniv Hayoun said he and others pushed their way into the cockpit, where they found the alleged attacker apparently trying to destroy the controls, according to Israeli broadcaster Channel 12.

Hayoun said he pulled the co-pilot away from the controls and grabbed them himself, using what he had seen on television to help level the plane before other crew members took over.

A pH๏τo shared by Netanyahu’s office showed Hayoun, wearing a bloodied shirt, embracing the prime minister. Netanyahu told him: “You are a hero. You deserve a global medal of honor.”

FlyDubai said on-duty crew members secured the aircraft and diverted it safely to Saudi Arabia.

Investigation into motive continues

The United Arab Emirates’ aviation authority said it opened an investigation into the incident, while FlyDubai temporarily suspended flights to and from Israel.

A regional official briefed on the investigation said the Omani suspect was under arrest and that Saudi authorities were working with several countries, including Israel, to determine a motive. The official said the UAE, United States and Oman were also involved.

“All possible scenarios, from terrorism to mental disorders, are being looked into. Nothing is ruled out for now,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Asked whether there was any indication of Iranian involvement, Netanyahu told Fox News, “It’s too early to say.”

Netanyahu said he also spoke with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who agreed Israel would join the interrogation of the suspect.

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he and Netanyahu discussed the incident “at length” by phone. Trump said the co-pilot “was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job.”