Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, was stabbed by the co-pilot, an Omani national who attempted to hijack a FlyDubai flight en route to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Despite severe bleeding, he managed to open the cockpit door, allowing crew members and passengers to regain control of the aircraft. Fortunately, reserve pilots were on board, and they made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. All passengers have safely returned to Israel.
Yet, there were signs that the would-be terrorist hijacker would be a problem: he refused to shake hands with women due to his extreme religious beliefs. One colleague outright said that the company hired a terrorist. Investigators are also looking into how this pilot was able to board the flight: you must have a passport from a nation with diplomatic relations with Israel to land in the country.Oman is not on the list (via NY Post):
The flydubai staffer accused of trying to hijack a plane carrying 174 people to Israel by stabbing the lead pilot was known as a religious extremist who refused to shake hands with women, according to a colleague.
The co-pilot responsible for what Israel’s defense minister called “a jihadist terrorist attack” Wednesday has not been named publicly, but was an Omani national who had worked for the airline for less than a year.
He was “someone characterized by very strange behavior, especially around religious observances that were out of step with his surroundings,” a fellow pilot told Israel’s Channel 16 journalist Yosef Yisrael.
“For instance, he used to pray a lot, and would not shake hands with women,” Yisrael said of what the pilot told him on the condition of anonymity.
The colleague claimed flydubai – a sister airline of Emirates – had “betrayed” the Jewish State by hiring the pilot who others have said seemed desperate to crash the plane in another 9/11.
“There is no other way to put it, we hired the services of a terrorist and nearly caused the deaths of 180 people,” the co-worker reportedly told the journalist.
“Usually only Emiratis fly to Israel. It is not clear how he got on this flight.”
It remains unclear how the Omani national was able to work the flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, which was eventually landed by two off-duty pilots in Saudi Arabia.
To land in Israel, pilots must hold passports from countries which have diplomatic relations with the Jewish State, and Israel and Oman do not have such diplomatic relations .
This could’ve been a tragic tale. Captain Machchhar is a hero.
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy Townhall's conservative reporting that takes on the radical Left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the Conversation
VIP members get the ability to comment on articles.