The Aporia · Pilot of flydubai plane who fought off ‘terrorist’ first officer on Israel-bound flight ID’d as Indian national

Pilot of flydubai plane who fought off ‘terrorist’ first officer on Israel-bound flight ID’d as Indian national

Read the original at New York Post ↗

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APA MLA Chicago

Reyes, R. (2026, September 30). Pilot of flydubai plane who fought off ‘terrorist’ first officer on Israel-bound flight ID’d as Indian national. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/30/world-news/pilot-of-flydubai-plane-who-fought-off-terrorist-first-officer-on-israel-bound-flight-idd-as-indian-national/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Smit Machchhar, an Indian national and experienced flydubai pilot with nearly 10,000 flying hours, is identified as the individual who thwarted a potential terror attack on a flight bound for Israel. The incident occurred when Machchhar was stabbed multiple times by his co-pilot, described as a “terrorist,” while trying to regain control of the plane mid-flight. After landing in Saudi Arabia, Machchhar was hospitalized for his injuries.

Written by AI on 2026-09-30, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv signaled an emergency and was diverted to land at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. The incident initially raised concerns about a possible hijacking, prompting Israel to scramble warplanes. However, Israeli officials later reported that the emergency signals were due to a physical altercation between the plane's two pilots rather than a hijacking attempt.

The flight, identified as Flydubai Flight FZ1073, transmitted multiple emergency alerts after takeoff and over Jordanian airspace before landing safely in Saudi Arabia. Passengers on board managed to overpower the attacker, who was later identified by UAE officials as Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami. Al-Hammami allegedly attempted to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's airport but was stopped by passengers.

UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi stated that signs of al-Hammami’s radicalization first emerged in 2017 while he was studying engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. He reportedly became influenced by extremist literature and online content glorifying terrorist organizations during this period.

Written for “Flydubai Hijacker's Radicalization Path” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 345 other(s) covering the same event.

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sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

33%

1 of 3 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

346

Crime & Law

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Ronny Reyes

64 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

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🔮 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu trailed opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot in the Israeli election Tuesday, according to exit polls — but neither bloc appeared set to win enough seats to secure a clear majority.

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🔮 The acceleration is evidence that Iran will not abandon its nuclear ambition despite ongoing peace talks with the US, retired four-star Gen. Jack Keane told Fox News.

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2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Israel’s furious Arab parties could oust Netanyahu — if the opposition will break an election promise

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2026-10-22 · mixed framing · Iran’s secret oil supply bound for China has dried up thanks to US naval blockade, analysts say

🔮 Local authorities will be alerted,” the alert read.

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Also by Ronny Reyes

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2026-10-27 · New York Post

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2026-10-26 · New York Post

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 64 articles by Ronny Reyes →

Claims (3 extracted, 1 hedged)

The pilot who was stabbed by his “terrorist” co-pilot as he tried to take control of a flydubai flight bound for Israel has been identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar. asserted

he → stab → Machchhar

Machchhar, who has nearly 10,000 hours in the air, was credited as averting a possible terror attack on Tuesday, according to Indian and Israeli outlets. uncertain

who → have → outlets

Machchhar was stabbed several times in the attack, officials said, with the pilot rushed to the hospital after the plane was delivered to Saudi Arabia. asserted

plane → stab → Arabia

Pilot of flydubai plane who fought off ‘terrorist’ first officer on Israel-bound flight ID’d as Indian national

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Claims (3 extracted, 1 hedged)