Netanyahu calls Indian pilot Machchhar 'hero of entire world'; invites him, Modi to Israel's I-Day event
Cairo |Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Indian pilot Smit Machchhar a "hero of the entire world” for foiling an alleged attempt by the co-pilot to crash an Israel-bound flight, as he spoke with him over the phone.
Captain Machchhar was attacked by his co-pilot and seriously injured in the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073 on Wednesday while it was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu on Saturday spoke to Machchhar, who is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in the UAE. A video clip of the call, with the phone in loudspeaker mode, was shared on social media.
During the call, Netanyahu also invited the pilot and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a flame on Israeli Independence Day.
"It's our highest honour that we give on our Independence Day. It's usually reserved for Israeli citizens, but I think here in this case, all the citizens of Israel will embrace you…So we hope to see you very soon in Israel," Netanyahu said during his conversation with 38-year-old Machchhar.
Israel’s Independence Day, or Yom Ha'atzmaut, is celebrated on the fifth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, which falls in late April or early May.
"You are a hero for Israel, India, and the entire world. I invite Prime Minister @NarendraModi and you to light a flame on Israeli Independence Day," the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel posted on X on Saturday.
"During the emotional conversation that took place this evening, the Prime Minister asked Captain Machchhar how it all started, and Machchhar revealed new details about the terrifying moments in the cockpit," the post read.
Machchhar told him that before the attack, the co-pilot wanted to pray. "While he was praying, out of respect, I was just looking at the front and not at the back, and suddenly, after, I would say about four-five minutes, 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 blows 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," Machchhar said.
“I did try to stop him, but because of his initial blows, my vision was almost like nothing. And I was completely blurred out,” he said.
Machchhar said he then realised that the aircraft was “sharply going down” and that his memory of the incident remained “in bits and pieces”.
He said he managed to open the cockpit door once, but the co-pilot shut it again, leaving him on the cockpit floor as he heard the aircraft and “people screaming”. “I had that one last fight left in me that, you know, call it personal or call it for people.
“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 bounce back. [They] took over the control, and the rest is what you know, sir,” Machchhar added.
Netanyahu told him he was "amazed" at his courage and his "coolness of judgment under impossible conditions."
"You saved so many souls.
"You know, I guess it's a twist of fate, and a twist of faith, and what you did is remarkable. 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," Netanyahu added.
An Omani citizen, Hamam al-Hammami, has been identified as the flydubai co-pilot who attacked Machchhar and allegedly attempted to take control of the flight, according to reports published by the Wall Street Journal and CNN. Al-Hammami was previously barred from flying in Oman over concerns about his radical ideological views, the reports said, quoting people familiar with the matter. He attacked Machchhar with a crash axe, typically kept in the cockpit for use in emergencies, seriously injuring him.