A senior adviser to the United Arab Emirates' President on Friday praised Indian captain Smit Machchhar for his courageous actions during a "serious terrorist incident" that could have ended in disaster.
Machchhar was stabbed and seriously injured by his co-pilot in the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, on Wednesday.
Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back and managed to open the cockpit door, enabling passengers to overpower the attacker. The flight, carrying 174 passengers, safely landed in Saudi Arabia, where authorities took the co-pilot into custody.
"Indian flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar deserves the highest praise. In confronting a serious terrorist incident and a potential catastrophe, he embodied courage and responsibility, the UAE president's diplomatic advisor Anwar Gargash wrote on X, according to Gulf News.
"His professionalism and moral conviction in the darkest of circumstances make him a true hero, Gargash posted in Arabic.
He also cautioned that vigilance was essential to confronting future possible acts of extremism and terrorism, and warned against promoting conspiracy theories about the attack.
After receiving initial treatment in a hospital in Tabuk city in Saudi Arabia, where the flydubai plane had landed, Machchhar was shifted to Abu Dhabi for continued medical care.
Indian Ambassador to the UAE Deepak Mittal on Thursday said Machchhar is "in good health and recovering well".
He also met the pilot's family and conveyed the full support of the Government of India in ensuring the welfare and well-being of the "Indian Hero."