It was a crash axe that is usually kept in the cockpit to be used during emergencies was the weapon the brave Flyduibai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar was attacked with by his co-pilot, who has been identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami by the international media despite no official confirmation of this yet.
Reports of the midair cockpit attack on the captain by his copilot in an Israel-bound Flydubai plane on Wednesday, September 30, had so far described the weapon used in the attack as a knife. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) prosecutor general has confirmed that the weapon Al-Hammami used to attack Machchhar while trying to take control of the plane was a crash axe, according to BBC.
Also read: Man from Karnataka killed in Sharjah, his body found chopped into 9 pieces; wife’s hand suspected
The 174 passengers and crew on board flight FZ1073 heading from Dubai International Airport to Tel Aviv survived after the Indian-origin captain and some heroic passengers managed to subdue the attacker, and land the plane safely in Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Despite his serious wounds, Captain Machchhar managed to trigger emergency squawk codes (7700 and 7500 for unlawful interference/hijacking) and pushed the cockpit door open from the inside. Passengers rushed in, put the attacker in a chokehold, and pulled him away from the controls, according to descriptions of the skirmish inside the cockpit that have come out so far.
Also read: Key accused in Bihar molestation case shot in leg during police encounter
Immediately after being stabbed by the crash axe by al-Hammami, a bleeding Smit Machchhar lay on the floor of the Flydubai flight deck, but he managed to click the release to open the cockpit door, an act that eventually prevented the plane from crashing. The stabbing is so far widely believed to be a possible act of terrorism.
The heroic act of Machchhar, who is being treated in a hospital in Tabuk, has been universally praised. “In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy,” wrote Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a post on X early. Modi also spoke to Machchhar via video call.
Also watch VIDEO: Bihar woman’s video at house in the middle of flood water sends a message to politicians
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who first said that the copilot who attacked Machchhar was an Omani national, later said that Al-Hammami, when he was held tight and immobile on the plane, called out to the crew, saying “Kill me, kill me!”
“So it is clear that he was suicidal… It looks very likely that he was going to down the plane,” said Netanyahu, adding that Al-Hammami “underwent Islamist radical indoctrination”.
According to US media reports, Al-Hammami was removed from flight training while working at another airline, Oman Air, after his radical views came to be known. He then got a different role at Oman’s national airline.
Also watch VIDEO: How the Gurgaon hit-and-run incident unfolded: Woman’s bike is deliberately hit by car
The alarm about the cockpit fight and the plane plunging midair was raised by an Israeli female passenger, Tali Manes, after she heard noise coming from the cockpit, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said. Her husband, Zvika, and three other men – Yaniv Hayun, Asaf Rajuan and Dr Shota Musayev – entered the cockpit after Capt Machchhar managed to open the door despite his wounds.
The plane had plunged 17,000ft (5.2 km) before it could be balanced and flown ahead for a safe emergency landing at Tabuk.
According to Dr Shota Musaev, a dentist who was also among those who ran to the cockpit, Al-Hammami was seen on top of Machchhar on the floor, stabbing him. “He (Machchhar) was covered in cuts – his head, his hands – they were practically sliced open, almost severed in two … he had lost a lot of blood and was in bad shape,” Dr Musaev was quoted by The Guardian as telling CNN.
Also read: Imran Khan’s ex-wife Jemima starts new chapter with Australian multi-millionaire businessman Cameron
“I think that if we had waited even a few more moments, we would have lost him. His blood pressure had plummeted, he suddenly lost consciousness, and there was blood everywhere,” said Dr Musaev.
Machchhar said on Thursday that he was “confident that the recovery will be there and I will become fit and healthy again”. The Indian embassy in the UAE has said that Machchhar is in “good health and recovering well”.
