Investigative journalist and author Matthew Vadum appeared the evening of Sept. 30, 2026, on Times Now in India.

Vadum said this about Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot stabbed on Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv:

“Captain Smit is a courageous figure, a heroic figure. He subdued a terrorist who was trying to take over the plane. There was a steep drop, loss of altitude, and even though he was seriously wounded, he managed to save the lives of everyone on board.”

The aircraft fell thousands of feet over Saudi Arabia. The captain, bleeding, opened the cockpit door from the inside. Those doors cannot be opened from the passenger cabin. Passengers and crew then restrained the co-pilot. A spare Flydubai crew already on board landed the jet at Tabuk. About 174 people were on the flight. Almost all were Israeli. None of the passengers were reported seriously hurt.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Captain Machchhar a hero and said India is proud of him. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he saved 174 people. President Trump, after speaking with Netanyahu, also called the wounded pilot a hero.

The airline says the motive is still under investigation.

Click on this link to view the video clip on X, the former Twitter.