NEW DELHI: India on Thursday said it was closely monitoring the health of Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot hailed for saving a Flydubai flight despite being stabbed by his co-pilot during an alleged attempt to bring down the aircraft.
Describing Machchhar as a “brave son of India”, Indian ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Deepak Mittal met him and his family at a hospital in Abu Dhabi on Thursday and said he was relieved to see that the pilot was “healthy and recovering well”.
“He was speaking openly, smiling and laughing, which was a great relief for us and, above all, for his family,” Mittal said.
The ambassador said Machchhar was receiving good medical treatment and that the Indian Embassy remained in constant touch with UAE authorities.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA), in a statement issued late on Thursday, said Machchhar had been shifted from a hospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, to Abu Dhabi for further treatment and recovery.
“We continue to closely follow the health condition of Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national and the brave pilot of Flydubai flight FZ 1073,” the MEA said. It said Mittal had met Machchhar in hospital and enquired about his well-being. The ambassador had earlier met the pilot’s family and assured them of all possible assistance.
The UAE has constituted a high-level team to investigate the incident and said UAE law would apply as the incident occurred aboard a UAE-registered aircraft. Authorities are also examining whether the attack had any terror-related motive.
Senior Israeli sources in West Asia said Israel was also investigating whether the incident was an attempted “jihadist terror attack” allegedly carried out by the Omani co-pilot against Israel and the UAE. The sources claimed that the co-pilot intended to crash the aircraft.
Investigators, meanwhile, were trying to determine why the Omani co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain, causing the aircraft to lose altitude sharply before others on board helped bring it under control and land in Saudi Arabia.
A regional official briefed on the investigation said the suspect, an Omani national, had been arrested and that Saudi authorities were coordinating with several countries, including Israel, to establish a motive. The UAE, the United States and Oman were also involved in the investigation, the official said.
“All possible scenarios, from terrorism to mental disorders, are being looked into. Nothing is ruled out for now,” the official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to discuss the investigation.
The co-pilot has not been publicly identified. Video filmed inside the aircraft by Shota Musayev, a dentist who treated Machchhar, showed the co-pilot on his knees with his hands tied behind his back.
Israeli intelligence and security officials were in Saudi Arabia to assist in the investigation, according to another regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The UAE government said its investigation team had begun examining the attack and whether it was linked to terrorism. It said Emirati authorities had jurisdiction as the aircraft was registered in the UAE and UAE law applied to offences committed on board.
Asked whether there was any indication of Iranian involvement, Netanyahu said, “It’s too early to say.”
Netanyahu had earlier said he spoke with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who agreed that Israel would participate in questioning the suspect.
US President Donald Trump said he and Netanyahu had discussed the incident “at length” by phone and suggested that the co-pilot could have been motivated by terrorism or other factors.
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