UAE presidential adviser says flydubai attack a 'terrorist act', praises Indian pilot Smit Machchhar

An adviser to the UAE president described an attack on a flydubai plane as a "terrorist act" and praised Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for his bravery in confronting the attacker. According to reports, Machchhar was fighting for his life when his co-pilot allegedly attacked him during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

Machchhar, who has 17 years of experience in aviation, including 11 years as a captain, told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he knew he had to act quickly to prevent a disaster. He said he was trying to save his own life, but he also knew he could not let the 174 passengers on board die.

Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing others to intervene and prevent a potential catastrophe. He is being treated for serious injuries at a hospital in Abu Dhabi. The incident is under investigation, and the co-pilot's actions are still unclear, as reported by Daily Post Nigeria.

Brief written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times - World News, People Daily Kenya, Al-Monitor, Daily Post Nigeria, The Indian Express - India — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.