The heroic FlyDubai pilot who stopped a hijacking on board an Israel-bound flight has revealed the harrowing scars he sustained during the dramatic cockpit attack.
On Wednesday, Indian pilot Smit Machchhar received the United Arab Emirates’ First Class Order of Zayed II by Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his efforts in preventing what is feared could have been a “9/11-style” attack.
The extent of Mr Machchhar’s injuries could be seen in clear view as he received the prestigious award from the UAE president.
Large scars with stitches could be seen at the back of his shaved head, while his left arm could be seen in a sling.
The Flydubai jet from Dubai to Israel plunged from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet in just a minute after the Indian pilot was attacked with an emergency axe.
Amid the chaos, Mr Machchhar opened the cockpit door of the Israel-bound plane to let passengers in and halt its rapid descent.
Passengers and crew then managed to tie up and stop the alleged attacker, forcing the jet to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia and stopping it from crashing.
Mr Al Nahyan warmly embraced the pilot as they met for the very first time.
After examining his scars, the UAE president joked he could help teach the Indian national to fight once he made a full recovery.
Mr Machchhar replied: “It’s my biggest honour.”
The pilot was not to only Flydubai employee to be commended for their actions on September 30, with his fellow crew members aware the bravery medal as they were hailed for their quick-thinking and sense of responsibility.
He had previously been hailed as a “true hero” by Benjamin Netanyahu, who commended him for his “extraordinary bravery”.
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“Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker – preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster,” he said.
Mr Netanyahu added: “He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals.”
Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, spoke to the heroic pilot on a video call while he was recovering in hospital.
Omani national Hamam al-Hammami is accused of trying to carry out the attack, Emirati authorities claiming he has since made a “detailed confession” to prosecutors.
Now, the Attorney General of the UAE, Dr Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, said the alleged attacker’s “drift” towards terrorism and extremism was rooted in his time as a student in Australia.
Al-Hammami spent two years in Melbourne as a student at RMIT University until 2017, with the institution confirming he “did not successfully complete an engineering qualification”.
The Attorney General said the former student was influenced by the extremist Islamist ideology takfiri.
Throughout his time in Melbourne, he read extremist literature and online content glorifying suicide attacks and terror groups, Dr Shamsi said.
Initial interrogations of the alleged hijacker revealed he had drawn inspiration from the 9/11 attacks, the lawyer added.
Unearthed posts on social media show the accused referring to five years studying in Australia, New Zealand and the UK in what he described as “the golden years of my religious commitment”.
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