NBC News reported that on Flydubai flight 1073, the pilot stabbed Indian national Capt. Smit Machchhar, who was identified by NBC as the copilot. Despite severe bleeding, NBC says Machchhar reached and opened the cockpit door, allowing crew and passengers to enter and remove the attacker. NBC also reported the aircraft dropped 14,000 feet before off‑duty pilots on board took control and landed the jet safely in Saudi Arabia. NBC said the suspect is in custody in Saudi Arabia.
Conflicting reports on who attacked
While NBC described the attacker as the pilot and identified Machchhar as the copilot, The Jerusalem Post reported that “the pilot‑hijacker, who was the deputy pilot for the flight, stabbed the lead pilot and tried to crash the aircraft,” adding that as many as four passengers wounded him and tied him up. The outlet’s account differs on roles and intent.
“Massive” blood loss and hospital update
CNN reported that Machchhar suffered “massive blood loss,” citing Dr. Shota Musaev, a dentist who said he treated the wounded man on board: “I started helping the pilot because he had lost a lot of blood and was in bad shape. He was covered in cuts — his head, his hands — they were practically sliced open, almost severed in two.” Musaev said the patient was praying and briefly lost consciousness.
According to India’s embassy in Riyadh, Machchhar was admitted to a hospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and is in stable condition.
Who was on board
Ynet reported there were 174 passengers and crew on the flight, including 27 children. The Jerusalem Post reported that 166 passengers were Israelis. NBC reported that four people on board held dual U.S. citizenship.
After the diversion
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on X on September 30, 2026, praising “the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar” for opening the cockpit door and enabling others to overpower the attacker, writing that he “saved the lives of 174 people.”
CNN reported that a passenger identified in Israeli media as Yaniv Hayoun told Netanyahu he put the attacker in a chokehold and, with others, dragged him from the cockpit. CNN quoted Hayoun as saying, “I called out to a bunch of Israelis on board, and two other guys came over. We pinned him down… I jumped back, grabbed the controls, and started pulling back the handles.”
What NBC says about the suspect
NBC reported the attacker was the pilot and described him as believed to be an Omani citizen. The network said the plane dropped 14,000 feet before off‑duty pilots landed it in Saudi Arabia, where the suspect was taken into custody.
