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UAE official says flydubai attack 'terrorist act' as he praises pilot
AFP, Dubai
Published: 02 Oct 2026, 05:16 PM
A plane, carrying passengers who were on the FlyDubai aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, on the tarmac as it arrives at the Ben Gurion International Airport, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, 30 September 2026. Photo: Reuters
UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said on Friday that the incident aboard a flydubai flight headed from Dubai to Tel Aviv was a "terrorist act", as he praised the courage of the captain attacked by his co-pilot.
Gargash said on X that flight captain Smit Machchhar, an
Indian national, was a "true hero" and deserved "every
appreciation, for in confronting a serious terrorist act and a potential
disaster, he embodied the true meaning of courage and responsibility".