Photo: Bahnfrend / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has opened a criminal case into the September 30 attack on Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit of flydubai Flight 1073, invoking the Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016 and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The first information report (FIR), registered on Friday on a directive from the Union Home Ministry, says the agency must uncover the “larger conspiracy” behind what it describes as an apparent attempt to hijack or crash the aircraft.
What the FIR says happened
According to the FIR, the Israel-bound flight left Dubai at 7.05 am with 174 passengers, most of them Israelis, and six crew members. Captain Machchhar was flying with an Omani first officer, identified as Hamam al-Hammami. At about 9.21 am, near the Jordan–Saudi Arabia border, the plane dived sharply and turned back into Saudi airspace.
Passengers’ accounts recorded in the FIR say the first officer stabbed the captain before he was overpowered and held down by passengers and crew. Captain Machchhar suffered deep cuts to his head and hands. Other flydubai pilots travelling on the aircraft then landed it safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, in north-western Saudi Arabia, at 10.45 am, where Saudi authorities arrested the first officer.
Why India’s anti-terror agency is involved
Although the incident took place in foreign airspace on a foreign airline, the NIA can investigate scheduled terror offences committed abroad when an Indian national is the victim. The FIR notes that the offences were committed against Captain Machchhar, an Indian citizen, and cites the “grave national and international ramifications” of the case.
Officials said the probe will look at whether the first officer acted on his own or as part of a module, and whether any linked cells are active. They added that the agency would seek case details and investigative help from authorities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Israel, as well as from the airline.
Extremist propaganda and international praise
The case comes as al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has praised the attack in the latest issue of its magazine, framing it in religious and anti-Western terms. The group’s publications have not, however, claimed responsibility for it.
Captain Machchhar has been widely hailed for preventing a possible disaster. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have both praised him, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog has invited him to Israel to receive the country’s Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism once he recovers.
What happens next
The registration of the FIR formally starts the NIA’s investigation. Because the accused is in Saudi custody and much of the evidence lies abroad, the agency’s progress is likely to depend on cooperation from Gulf and Israeli authorities. The incident has also renewed questions about how airlines screen and monitor flight crew, a gap that cockpit security rules have long struggled to close.
