Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauds FlyDubai "hero" pilot Smit Machchhar, praises for bravery during cockpit attack

The leaders of Israel and India hailed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar as a hero for saving passengers after he was stabbed by his colleague in an alleged attempt to crash a flydubai plane on Wednesday. Passengers on the flight reached Israel safely on Wednesday after customers and crew foiled the co-pilot's attempt to crash the aircraft, Israeli officials said. In a post on X early on Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Machchhar, calling him a “hero”.