The National Investigation Agency has opened a terrorism investigation into the attack on Indian captain Smit Machchhar aboard a flydubai flight to Israel, as authorities examine whether the alleged hijacking attempt involved others. The investigation coincides with UAE prosecutors’ finding that the Omani co-pilot planned to crash the passenger aircraft into Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on September 30.
He announced that Machchhar would receive the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism once he recovered from his injuries. The NIA registered its case on Friday at the direction of India’s Ministry of Home Affairs. In a statement on Friday, UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said investigators had uncovered an alleged plan to crash the aircraft into the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport. On Thursday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog presented six people from the flight with civilian bravery awards.
The Omani first officer, identified in media reports as Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly attacked Machchhar inside the cockpit with an emergency axe. The captain suffered serious injuries to his head and hands. Two other pilots took control and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia. Its investigators are still checking that account. India’s NIA will independently examine whether others helped plan the attack or whether the first officer acted without outside support. A wider plot has not been established.
The First Information Report (FIR) cites Section 3 of the Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016, and provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Prosecutors said the suspect drew inspiration from the September 11, 2001, attacks and had used two earlier flights to Tel Aviv to study the route and airport. The 29-year-old began consuming extremist material while studying in Australia in 2017, according to the UAE investigation. He later worked for Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc before joining flydubai in January 2026.
The Centre said the alleged attack on an Indian citizen warranted an investigation into a possible wider conspiracy. UAE prosecutors said a pilot travelling aboard the aircraft noticed unusual movements of the cockpit door, gained entry and helped crew members and passengers restrain the attacker. Prosecutors said he passed the airline’s professional and security checks, which did not disclose his alleged extremist views. The UAE said the suspect had admitted, in the presence of a lawyer, that he acted alone.
On Wednesday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Machchhar was recovering after surgery at a hospital in Abu Dhabi. The Indian embassy was in contact with his family, doctors and local authorities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have praised the captain’s actions.
