Flydubai incident: Was Smit Machchhar attacked with a knife or crash axe?
Flydubai Flight FZ1073 experienced a cockpit confrontation that left Indian Captain Smit Machchhar injured. The weapon used in the attack remains uncertain, with conflicting reports suggesting either a knife or the emergency crash axe. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated the attacker may have used an axe. While passengers reported seeing a man holding a knife, a pilot working in the region stated pilots could potentially access a metal knife from meal service as well as the crash axe commonly found in cockpits.
The incident prompted Israeli authorities to scramble fighter jets and led to an emergency landing in Tabuk. The exact sequence of events remains unclear, but it is known that one pilot allegedly attacked the other, who then opened the cockpit door to allow other passengers and crew to enter and subdue the assailant. Machchhar is currently in stable condition following surgery in Saudi Arabia.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 4 other outlets
- Gujarat To Honour Capt. Smit Machchhar With State Award For Saving 174 Lives After Stabbing On Flydubai Flight freepressjournal.in
- Man who helped subdue pilot in FlyDubai cockpit incident speaks out cbsnews.com
- U.A.E. announces investigation into FlyDubai incident cbc.ca
- How was the Flydubai pilot who attacked his co-pilot cleared to fly? aljazeera.com
