After a flight from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Israel was diverted to Saudi Arabia in an attempted "hijacking" and "terror attack," the co-pilot accused of stabbing the lead pilot is being reported as a religious extremist.As reported by the New York Post, the flydubai flight carrying 174 people on board had a co-pilot reportedly known as a religious extremist who refused to shake the hands of women.The co-pilot was described as being responsible for what Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, called a "jihadist terrorist attack" on Wednesday.Currently, the co-pilot is not being named publicly but is reported to be an Omani national who had worked for the airline for less than a year..He was "someone characterized by very strange behavior, especially around religious observances that were out of step with his surroundings," a fellow pilot recounted to Israel's Channel 16 journalist Yosef Yisrael.“For instance, he used to pray a lot and would not shake hands with women," Yisrael stated about what the anonymous pilot told him."There is no other way to put it, we [flydubai] hired the services of a terrorist and nearly caused the deaths of 180 people,” the co-worker reportedly told Yisrael.“Usually only Emiratis fly to Israel. It is not clear how he got on this flight.”.It remains unclear how an Omani national was able to work the flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, which was eventually landed by two off-duty pilots in Saudi Arabia.This is because to land a flight in Israel, pilots must hold passports from countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel, and Oman does not have said relations. As reported by CNN, the Indian pilot stabbed on the flight has been identified as Captain Smit Machchhar, who helped stop the attempt to hijack the flight.Since then, he has been deemed a hero by the Indian prime minister.."Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO,” wrote Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X."In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others."On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed praise for Machchhar as a "true hero," saying he demonstrated "extraordinary bravery" and saved the lives of 174 people on that plane."Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker, preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster,' he stated on X..The Indian embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has stated the "brave Indian pilot" has been admitted to a hospital in Tabuk, in northwest Saudi Arabia, where he was receiving medical care."A full update on his health is awaited but he is reported to be in stable condition. We hope that he recovers from his injuries at the earliest,” it stated on X.
