The Aporia · Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar opened cockpit door while being attacked by co-pilot during attempted hijacking

Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar opened cockpit door while being attacked by co-pilot during attempted hijacking

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Reuters. (2026, October 2). Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar opened cockpit door while being attacked by co-pilot during attempted hijacking. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/02/world-news/flydubai-captain-smit-machchhar-opened-cockpit-door-while-being-attacked-by-co-pilot-during-attempted-hijacking/

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Quick Summary

Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar opened the cockpit door while being attacked by his co-pilot during an attempted hijacking on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. In a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Machchhar recounted how he managed to open the locked cockpit door despite being injured and bleeding heavily, allowing passengers and crew to subdue the attacker. The plane made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia after plunging nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds during the incident.

Written by AI on 2026-10-02, 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 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 345 other(s) covering the same event.

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Reuters

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Claims (14 extracted, 0 hedged)

Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar opened cockpit door while being attacked by co-pilot during attempted hijacking By asserted

Machchhar → open → hijacking

The Indian pilot stabbed by his co-pilot on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv replayed the dramatic attack and his desperate effort to open the cockpit door to seek help, in a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. asserted

pilot → stab → Friday

Smit Machchhar, seen with a tube in his nose and bandages on his head and hands, spoke to Modi from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi during a nearly 10-minute clip released on the prime minister’s social media channels, wiping away tears as he narrated his ordeal. “I knew that the aircraft was going down … asserted

aircraft → see → ordeal

I had fallen to the ground. asserted

I → fall → ground

I told myself that the door is right there, just open it. asserted

door → tell → it

I managed to do it and people entered,” he said. asserted

he → manage → it

The jet, with 174 people on board, plunged nearly 14,000 ft in less than 30 seconds in the incident. asserted

jet → plunge → incident

“I have been flying for the last 17 years, have been a captain for the last 11 years. asserted

I → fly → years

I knew that the aircraft was going down,” he said. asserted

he → know → ?

Modi praised Machchhar’s bravery and said his presence of mind saved lives and saved the reputation of Indian pilots. asserted

presence → praise → pilots

“I know God saved me,” said an emotional Machchhar, who is from Modi’s home state of Gujarat. asserted

who → know → Gujarat

He told the prime minister he recited a Hindu prayer to the monkey god Hanuman during the ordeal. asserted

he → tell → ordeal

Machchhar was covered with blood and on the floor when he managed to open the cockpit door, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Reuters on Thursday. asserted

spokesperson → cover → Thursday

That allowed passengers and crew to overpower the co-pilot and let a second pair of flydubai pilots on board take control of the jet and land it in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. asserted

pair → allow → Tabuk

Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar opened cockpit door while being attacked by co-pilot during attempted hijacking

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Claims (14 extracted, 0 hedged)