Flydubai Flight Diverts After Alleged Cockpit Assault

A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on September 30 after an alleged cockpit assault injured Captain Smit Machchhar. The aircraft landed safely after passengers and crew intervened and two off-duty Flydubai pilots took control, according to reports. The UAE attorney general has described the incident as an attempted terrorist act, but investigators have not publicly established a motive or issued final findings. UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the Omani copilot attacked Machchhar with a crash axe and tried to take control of the aircraft. That account has been reported as the official allegation; details of the confrontation have not been independently established in the available material. Investigators are examining the circumstances, possible connections and physical and digital evidence, officials said. Accounts say Machchhar, despite being injured, opened the cockpit door so others could enter. He described doing so during a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Two additional Flydubai pilots aboard then took over and helped land the plane in Tabuk.