Flydubai’s flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv was rocked by a cockpit attack on Wednesday after a co-pilot allegedly stabbed captain Smit Machchhar, who was injured but helped bring the Boeing 737 Max 8 to safety in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The aircraft carried 174 passengers and crew, and the flight diverted after emergency signals were transmitted during the incident.
Machchhar’s account has drawn attention for the moment he opened the cockpit door and allowed others to enter and restrain the attacker. In German-language coverage, he was quoted saying, “Ich öffnete die Tür und alle kamen herein.” Passengers and crew then helped overpower the alleged assailant before the aircraft landed safely.
The incident has prompted scrutiny of cockpit security and crew response on a scheduled international passenger flight. Israeli officials initially treated the case as a possible terror attack, while later reporting focused on the internal altercation and the role played by the injured captain. The sequence and motive remain under investigation, and no official accident report has yet set out a final conclusion.