Tel Aviv [Israel], October 4 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday (local time) spoke with Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar, who displayed extraordinary courage and helped save lives after being attacked by his Omani co-pilot aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv during the September 30 terrorist attack, and praised his courage and composure during the confrontation inside the cockpit.
During the conversation, Netanyahu invited Captain Machchhar and his "dear friend" Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a celebratory flame on Israel's next Independence Day, calling the Indian pilot "a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel" and "a hero of the entire world".
"I want to invite you and my dear friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to light a celebratory flame on our next Independence Day. You are a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel, and you're a hero of the entire world. I wish you a very speedy and complete recovery," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during their telephonic conversation.
Captain Machchhar, recounting what happened inside the cockpit, said the flight was proceeding normally when the co-pilot, who wanted to pray, suddenly attacked him.
"It was a normal flight, and he wanted to pray, which is not out of the ordinary. While he was praying, out of respect, I was looking at the front, not at the back, and suddenly there was a big blow to the back of my head. My first thought was that there was catastrophic damage to the aircraft and something was not right. But then, after that, the blow kept coming, one after the other. And that's when I realised that it's not the aircraft; it's the other guy who was in the cockpit with me," Captain Machchhar said.
The confrontation triggered a steep descent, with the aircraft dropping approximately 16,000 feet within two minutes before a hijacking distress signal was transmitted.
Describing his condition after the initial blows, Captain Machchhar said he attempted to stop the attacker, but his vision became severely blurred.
"I did try to stop him, but because of his initial blows, my vision was almost like nothing. And I was completely blurred out. And at that point, the next feeling that I had was that the aircraft was sharply going down," Captain Machchhar said.
"My memory is still in bits and pieces right now, but this is what I remember out of that time," he added.
The Indian Captain said he also attempted to open the cockpit door, but the attacker shut it again. He recalled subsequently lying on the cockpit floor as he heard the passengers screaming.
"I did try and manage to open the door once, but I think he shut it back closed. And at this point, I remember I was lying down on the cockpit floor. And I felt the aircraft and the whooshing sound and people screaming. And as I was telling the ambassador here, I had one last fight left in me. Call it personal or call it for people, but let's say I did it, that if I don't do it, I'm going to die," he said.
Captain Machchhar said he then made another attempt to reach the cockpit door, after which people waiting outside rushed in and took control of the situation.
"And that's when I pushed against everything I gave, everything that I had, and just went for the door and opened the door. And thankfully, people were waiting to pounce back and took over the control," he said.
Flight crew members and passengers then entered the cockpit and restrained the attacker, allowing the crew to regain command of the aircraft. Two non-duty aviators who were on board helped assume control of the aircraft for its emergency landing.
The aircraft subsequently made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with all 180 occupants disembarking without injury.
Reacting to Captain Machchhar's account, Netanyahu said he was "amazed" by the pilot's conduct during the incident.
"Frankly, I'm amazed at your courage, at your coolness of judgement under impossible conditions," Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said he had heard from Israeli passengers about what transpired during the incident and praised the pilot and those who assisted him.
"I heard, of course, from the Israeli passengers what transpired after that, and you're a great hero, and you were accompanied by heroes, and you saved the day. You saved so many souls. I think you saved something bigger. You saved the spirit of the world to realise that a brave pilot and brave passengers can overcome this evil, however threatening, however violent. It's something that is being justly hailed around the world. You're a hero of Israel. You're a hero of India. You're a hero of the entire world. And I can tell you that people here will welcome you with open arms," Netanyahu said.
The Israeli Prime Minister also conveyed his regards to Captain Machchhar's wife and wished the pilot a speedy recovery.
"And please also pass the best regards from me and my wife to your wife. I know you have a family and know that you're part of the family of nations. You're part of the family of nations and a heroic part. Please get well. Please get well as soon as you can," Netanyahu said.
The security incident occurred on September 30 aboard the Flydubai flight operating from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
The Omani co-pilot, identified as Hamam al-Hammami, attempted to carry out a "terrorist attack” as he stabbed Captain Machchhar inside the cockpit in an attempt to bring down the aircraft.
Despite sustaining severe injuries, Captain Machchhar resisted the attacker and managed to unlatch the cockpit entry.
Captain Machchhar is now being hailed as a hero for his actions during the incident, while Netanyahu's invitation for the Indian pilot and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a celebratory flame on Israel's next Independence Day adds further recognition to the brave deed by the Indian pilot. (ANI)
"A hero of the entire world": Netanyahu speaks with Capt Machchhar invites him, PM Modi to light Independence Day torch
