Trump Praises Flydubai Rescue Amid Attack

President Donald Trump described the remarkable rescue on the Flydubai flight as “the most amazing story” on Wednesday after having an extensive conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He mentioned the co-pilot, who allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to crash the plane heading to Israel, saying he was “perhaps a terrorist.”

Trump detailed how the seriously injured captain managed to unlock the cockpit door before Israeli passengers overpowered the co-pilot, as the Boeing 737 descended dramatically. At one point, a passenger briefly took control of the aircraft before qualified pilots stepped in.

“It seems like the co-pilot was maybe a terrorist, or just someone who lost it, and he stabbed the pilot,” Trump stated.

Despite his injuries, the captain was able to open the reinforced cockpit door and call for assistance, allowing the passengers to act quickly. “The pilot was in very bad shape. I think he still is,” Trump noted, calling the captain’s actions heroic. “He managed to fall back, get the door open, and scream for help.”

The captain, Smit Machchhar, originally from India and an experienced pilot, remained hospitalized in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, following the attack.

Netanyahu echoed Trump’s sentiments, referring to Machchhar as a “true hero,” emphasizing that he resisted despite his serious injuries and opened the door before collapsing. “He fought back and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the assailant, thus preventing a potential mid-air disaster,” Netanyahu mentioned.

A spokesperson for Netanyahu provided additional details, explaining that the injured captain used his last ounce of strength to activate the cockpit-door release while lying on the floor, allowing the passengers to enter.

The passengers found Machchhar on the floor and the co-pilot at the control panel—apparently trying to destroy it.

Trump highlighted the role of Yaniv Hayun, an Israeli plumber who helped to subdue the attacker and briefly took control of the aircraft during its dangerous descent. “He pulled this guy out of the seat and threw him back,” Trump recounted. “And despite never having flown, he grabbed the stick and managed to level the plane out.”

Trump acknowledged that he was relaying the story as it had been told to him by Netanyahu and others. “Now, this is the story I heard. I’m not sure how accurate it is, but that’s what I was told,” he said.

Hayun, who returned to Israel still wearing a bloodied shirt, recounted how he and another passenger entered the cockpit where Machchhar had collapsed and the assailant was positioned between the pilots’ seats.

Hayun described how he put the attacker in a chokehold and called for help from other passengers to restrain the assailant before heading back to the cockpit as the plane remained in a perilous position. “I jumped back to the control, pulled the yoke, and started pulling back,” he remembered.

Eventually, one of two qualified pilots onboard took over as the aircraft began to stabilize.

Interestingly, Hayun credited his instinct to pull back on the controls to a television series he had watched—Air Disasters, a detail that impressed Trump. “He said he watches it a lot and learned some tricks from the show,” Trump said. “I think it’s an incredible story.”

According to Trump, he had been informed that the co-pilot intended to crash the plane, while authorities continued to investigate the incident and the motives behind it.

Israeli officials classified the situation as an attempted terrorist attack, with Defense Minister Israel Katz labeling it an “attempted jihadist terrorist attack.” Netanyahu articulated that the co-pilot “apparently tried to crash the plane” while everyone was onboard.

Flydubai has reported that the circumstances and motivations surrounding the incident are still under investigation and has temporarily halted flights to and from Israel while the facts are established.

The flight FZ1073, carrying 174 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv, faced a rapid descent of about 14,000 feet during the struggle. After the assailant was subdued and the qualified pilots regained control, the plane made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

As of Wednesday, Machchhar remained hospitalized, with the Indian Embassy in Riyadh announcing he was in stable condition while awaiting a detailed medical assessment. The suspect is in custody in Saudi Arabia.

The passengers were later safely flown back to Israel on a replacement aircraft, where Netanyahu personally welcomed Hayun and others at Ben-Gurion Airport.

In response to the attack, Israel is reinforcing security measures for incoming flights, with Netanyahu insisting that every pilot flying into Israel will undergo identification checks and some form of security screening.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also engaged in discussions with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, which was characterized by both parties as a “warm” exchange, with a mutual commitment to bolster relations and cooperate against extremism that threatens regional stability—framing the attack as not just an assault on the aircraft but also on the Israel-UAE relationship established through the Abraham Accords.