Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for averting a “9/11-style tragedy” by foiling an alleged attempt by his co-pilot to crash a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
“The incident that occurred yesterday, Captain Smit of India demonstrated remarkable patience, presence of mind, and courage. Indeed, as the Prime Minister of Israel stated today, an Indian prevented a 9/11-style tragedy,” he said, referring to the US terror strikes that saw hijacked planes crash into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.
“An amazing act of heroism — of his, of the Indian pilot, of the people who helped them.
Earlier, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Machchhar for his “extraordinary bravery”. They stopped a disaster that could have been global,” he said, as he also praised an Israeli passenger who helped overpower the attacker. The Indian embassy said Machchhar was being treated at a hospital in Saudi Arabia.
