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Intel confirms the co-pilot aimed to incapacitate Captain Smit Machchhar and force the plane into a fatal dive targeting Tel Aviv or Jerusalem
During the cruise phase of the flight, the Omani co-pilot initiated a violent assault inside the locked flight deck, stabbing Captain Smit Machchhar repeatedly with a blade smuggled past airport security screening. (Representational image: AFP)
Top intelligence sources have told CNN-News18 that the mid-air crisis aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 was a calculated, 9/11-style terror plot that was averted only through the extraordinary physical intervention of its Indian captain and courageous passengers. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 airliner was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv, carrying nearly 180 passengers, the vast majority of whom were Israeli citizens.
Security officials concluded that the airborne assault was a targeted, ideologically driven attack aimed at disabling the primary flight crew and using the commercial airliner itself as a weapon of mass destruction.
Violent Cockpit Assault and Universal Hijack Signal
During the cruise phase of the flight, the Omani co-pilot initiated a violent assault inside the locked flight deck, stabbing Captain Smit Machchar repeatedly with a blade smuggled past airport security screening. Intelligence assessments confirm that the perpetrator’s deliberate intention was to permanently incapacitate Captain Machchhar and force the aircraft into a high-speed, fatal dive towards major population centres in Israel, specifically targeting Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.
As the cockpit struggle escalated, the aircraft transmitted transponder code Squawk 7500—the universal emergency signal indicating unlawful interference, a hostage crisis, or an ongoing hijacking in progress.
Fighter Jets Scrambled Amid 14,000-Foot Plunge
The transmission of the hijack code immediately triggered maximum alert protocols across regional national security networks, prompting Israeli defence authorities to scramble warplanes to intercept the incoming airliner. Flight radar data tracked the Boeing 737 MAX plummeting over 14,000 feet in under a minute as the co-pilot attempted to manipulate flight control systems and disable safety overrides.
At A Glance
The mid-air crisis aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 was a calculated, 9/11-style terror plot.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 airliner was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv, carrying nearly 180 passengers.
The Omani co-pilot initiated a violent assault inside the locked flight deck, stabbing Captain Smit Machchhar.
The aircraft transmitted transponder code Squawk 7500, indicating unlawful interference.
Flight radar data tracked the Boeing 737 MAX plummeting over 14,000 feet in under a minute.
Despite suffering severe head and bodily injuries and significant blood loss, Captain Machchhar resisted the attacker, buying vital seconds that allowed cabin crew and alert Israeli passengers to breach the flight deck and subdue the Omani co-pilot.
Hero Pilot Stable in Saudi Military Facility
Following the intervention, the remaining crew stabilised the aircraft and executed an emergency landing at Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Captain Machchhar was immediately rushed to a local military hospital, where senior Indian officials confirm he is receiving intensive care for major head injuries. While his condition is described as stable and out of immediate danger, strict security protocols remain in place with no outside visitors permitted inside the medical facility.
Captain Machchhar’s wife is currently travelling to Saudi Arabia after being formally briefed by diplomatic and military officials regarding her husband’s condition and heroic actions.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Top intelligence sources revealed that Flydubai Flight FZ1073 faced a 9/11-style terror plot when the Omani co-pilot violently attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit. The attacker intended to incapacitate the pilot and use the Boeing 737 MAX as a weapon against Israeli population centers before passengers and crew intervened.
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Group Editor, Investigations and Security Affairs, Network18
October 01, 2026, 02:33 IST
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