NIA registers case over alleged cockpit stabbing of Indian captain on flydubai flight

The National Investigation Agency registered a case on October 9 over an alleged attack on Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar aboard flydubai flight FZ1073.

The incident happened on September 30 on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

According to the FIR, the first officer stabbed the captain in an apparent attempt to hijack or crash the plane.

The FIR cites the Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016 and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

The NIA is examining whether a wider conspiracy exists, and the allegations are not findings.

The National Investigation Agency, or NIA, registered a case on October 9, 2026 over an alleged attack on Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar aboard a flydubai flight, and officials confirmed it on Saturday, October 10.

The incident happened on September 30, 2026, on flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, according to ETV Bharat and India TV.

According to the FIR, the first officer stabbed the captain in the cockpit in an apparent attempt to hijack or crash the plane.

These are allegations recorded in the FIR, and the reports did not describe any findings or court proceedings.

The reports did not name the first officer, and this report does not name the person either.

The flight departed Dubai at 7:05 am GMT with 174 passengers and six crew, according to ETV Bharat.

It turned back into Saudi airspace near the Jordan-Saudi Arabia border at about 9:21 am GMT.

Other flydubai pilots landed it at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, at 10:45 am GMT.

The FIR says that the first officer was overwhelmed and restrained by passengers and crew, and Saudi authorities arrested the first officer, according to ETV Bharat.

The captain sustained critical injuries, including deep cuts to the head and hands, according to ETV Bharat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Captain Machchhar after the attack came to light, according to India TV.

Flydubai Boeing 737-800 (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0