New Delhi: Captain Smit Machchhar, who was seriously injured while fighting off an attack by his Omani co-pilot on a flight bound for Tel Aviv, will be appropriately honoured for helping save the lives of 180 passengers, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar told ThePrint.
Israel “never forgets those who come to assist us in time of need”, Azar said, indicating that his country would find an appropriate way to recognise Machchhar’s bravery.
“Everybody’s talking about it, the prime minister, the president, the head of our parliament,” Azar told ThePrint in an interview. “We never forget those who come to assist us in time of need. And I am sure the State of Israel will find the appropriate way to recognize Captain Smit Machchhar’s bravery.”
The Israeli ambassador provided an account of what happened inside the aircraft.
He said that this was based on accounts given by Israeli passengers to the Israeli media and authorities, while stressing that the investigation is still underway.
“What we know so far comes from the Israeli witnesses that were interviewed to the Israeli press and one of them even interviewed by the Prime Minister himself,” Azar said.
According to this account, passengers heard noises coming from the cockpit before Machchhar opened the cockpit door. Three Israeli passengers then entered the cockpit and helped restrain the co-pilot.
One of them saw that the attacker was attempting to interfere with the aircraft’s controls. He pulled the aircraft’s controls to stabilise it and called two additional pilots, who were travelling as passengers.
“They entered and they took control of the situation,” Azar said.
The aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Machchhar’s actions, Azar said, were particularly significant because he was himself injured during the confrontation.
“He didn’t hesitate,” the Israeli ambassador said. “Thanks to the lack of hesitation, neither from the captain nor him (the civilian who pulled up the aircraft controls), they worked in a fast way to prevent the continued descent of the plane.”
Azar also highlighted the role of an Israeli passenger who intervened in the cockpit and an Israeli dentist who provided medical assistance to a wounded Machchhar.
“So miraculously, thanks to the courage of Captain Machchhar, thanks to the resolve of the Israeli citizens, of the crew, the Emirati crew, they managed to save so many lives.”
‘Waiting for investigation’
The Israeli envoy also pointed to what he described as the “sensitive” timing of the incident. It came just days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the UAE, where he was reported to have held discussions with regional leaders, and ahead of Israel’s commemoration of the 7 October, 2023 Hamas attack.
Azar, however, stressed that the motive behind the cockpit attack remains unknown.
He recalled that Israeli intelligence assessments were that the now-slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had been concerned about the rapprochement between Israel and Arab countries and, hence, it was one of the prime reasons behind the 7 October attack.
“It is now apparently clear that the co-pilot seems to have been an Omani citizen that was working less than a year in the company,” he said. “But again, we don’t know what has been the motivation of the co-pilot, the attacker, whether he had co-conspirators, whether he was sent by other agencies or foreign elements, or whether he acted by himself.”
The ambassador said the circumstances would need to be established by the investigation being conducted by the relevant authorities.
Machchhar, who had earlier flown for SpiceJet, was air-lifted from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi, the UAE for further medical treatment. The episode has generated considerable attention in Israel, with PM Netanyahu among those publicly praising the Indian pilot and calling him a hero.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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