Passengers and Indian pilot thwart Flydubai hijack, hailed as heroes in Israel

During a Flydubai flight from Tel Aviv to Dubai, a gunman breached the cockpit, prompting a violent struggle that saw the pilot knocked to the floor and the cabin stained with blood. Passengers, including installer Yaniv Hayun, seized the attacker and bound him with headphone cords, while pilot Smit Machchhar forced open the reinforced cockpit door despite severe injuries. Dentist Shota Musayev acted as first responder, stemming Machchhar's bleeding.

After the crisis, two reserve pilots took over and guided the aircraft to a safe emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted the survivors, calling them "lions of the nation" and pledged medals for civil courage. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also commended Machchhar's bravery, and U.S. President Donald Trump contacted Netanyahu about the thwarted attack.