Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a speech to an audience, citing Netanyahu's remarks about a prevented 9/11-style crash that was averted by an Indian pilot's resourcefulness. The comments refer to the recent thwarted hijacking of a Flydubai flight.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a public speech on Friday, citing Netanyahu's description of a potential 9/11-style crash that was prevented by the resourcefulness of an Indian pilot, according to reports from the Rotter news aggregation channel. The comments refer to the attempted hijacking of Flydubai flight FZ 1073 on Wednesday, during which the captain, Smit Machchhar, was seriously stabbed while fighting off an Omani co-pilot who attacked him in the cockpit. Modi's speech marks the latest high-level acknowledgment of the thwarted attack.
The development came hours after Captain Machchhar spoke emotionally with Modi from his hospital bed in the United Arab Emirates earlier Friday. During that conversation, the pilot recounted forcing open the cockpit door despite multiple stab wounds, telling Modi he knew he had to act to save the passengers. The Zioneer reported that the captain thanked the Israeli passengers and medical staff who saved his life. Earlier on Thursday, the Indian embassy in the UAE confirmed the captain was in good health and recovering, and the Indian ambassador, Deepak Mittal, visited him in hospital.
As The Zioneer reported Wednesday, Israeli officials described the incident as "a great miracle, a disaster averted thanks to Israeli resourcefulness and courage," in the words of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. The attempted hijacking, which occurred on an Israel-bound flight from Dubai, has drawn international attention and underscored cooperation between Israel and India. Prime Minister Netanyahu previously hailed the captain as a "true hero" and spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend about the incident.
The specific venue and date of Modi's speech were not immediately reported, and no further details on the contents of Netanyahu's original remarks that were cited have been released. The captain remains under medical care, and investigations into the attack, including the discovery of 'Free Palestine' pamphlets among the terrorist co-pilot's belongings, are ongoing.
19 developments
- DevelopingModi: Spoke with Netanyahu, strategic partnership continues to strengthen
- ConfirmedNetanyahu: We tied stabbing pilot with headphone wire, he said 'Kill me'
- StrongNetanyahu hails four Israelis and Indian pilot as 'superheroes' for saving 174 lives
- StrongOhana: Dubai plane incident a 'great miracle,' warns of ongoing enemy attack efforts
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