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Benjamin Netanyahu Invites 'True Hero' Captain Smit, PM Modi to Light Independence Day Flame

  • On Wednesday, September 30, Flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar was attacked by his co-pilot with a crash axe mid-flight, forcing an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia with 174 passengers aboard.
  • Co-Pilot Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, reportedly initiated the attack after asking to pray, with Machchhar recalling, "While he was praying, out of respect, I was just looking at the front and not at the back."
  • Fighting through blurred vision, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door from the inside, allowing crew members to intervene; he is now recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Machchhar on Saturday, calling him a "hero of Israel, India and the world" and inviting him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a flame at Israel's Independence Day.
  • Authorities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Israel are investigating the incident, with Netanyahu alleging the co-pilot underwent "Islamist radical indoctrination" while officials examine potential terrorism links.
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"You are a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel," said the Israeli Prime Minister in a video on Saturday in Israel. "The man, assaulted by his co-pilot, had prevented a tragedy by opening the door to his cockpit. - "You are a hero for the whole world": Netanyahu invites the Indian pilot of the Flydubai flight in Israel (International).

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WIN broke the news in Israel on Friday, October 2, 2026.
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