Top UAE adviser calls flydubai cockpit incident ‘terrorist act’

UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash on Friday described an incident aboard a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv as a “terrorist act,” praising the captain for his actions during the emergency, Anadolu reports.

“Indian captain Smit Machchhar deserves every appreciation,” Gargash said on US social media platform X, describing him as a “true hero.”

“In confronting a serious terrorist act and a potential disaster, he embodied the true meaning of courage and responsibility,” Gargash said.

He also praised the pilot’s professionalism and “moral sense in the darkest circumstances.”

READ: Israel’s airline El Al cancels Dubai evacuation flights after UAE withdraws landing permits

Flydubai flight FZ1073, carrying 174 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was granted permission to make an emergency landing Wednesday at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Flydubai said earlier that “an altercation occurred in the flight deck” and that crew members secured the aircraft before it diverted safely to Saudi Arabia.

Airport officials said the captain and first officer were injured and taken to a hospital following the incident.

All passengers and crew were reported safe and accounted for.

READ: UAE spymaster who wants to ‘eliminate all threats’ seeks an iron grip on AI’s future