"Proud": PM Modi Praises "Hero" Indian Pilot For Fighting Off Hijack Scare

Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian citizen, has been praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "hero" for his actions during a security incident on a flydubai flight. The flight, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Saudi Arabia after the incident, which the UAE authorities described as a security issue.

According to the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, some crew members were injured and taken to hospital. Modi, in a post on X, said Machchhar showed "immense courage" and "an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others" despite being seriously injured.

Machchhar had been working with flydubai, a low-cost carrier owned by the Emirati government, for four years. Modi prayed for Machchhar's speedy recovery, renewed strength, and good health.

Brief written by urgent.news from NDTV - India News, Gulf News, The Indian Express - India — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.