Netanyahu Invites Flydubai Captain to Independence Day Ceremony

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has invited Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot injured in a cockpit incident aboard a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, to attend Israel’s next Independence Day ceremony and light a ceremonial flame with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Netanyahu made the invitation during a video call with Machchhar on Saturday, October 3, describing the honour as one usually reserved for Israeli citizens. The incident took place aboard flight FZ1073 on September 30. The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. Accounts in the supplied reporting say Machchhar was injured during a confrontation with the copilot and that crew members and passengers intervened after the cockpit door was opened. The sources report that all 174 people aboard survived, though the specific sequence of events and weapon used are not independently established in the available information. The UAE Attorney General said preliminary investigative findings indicated that the copilot allegedly attacked Machchhar with the cockpit emergency axe and tried to take control of the aircraft.