Vol flydubai: le pilote raconte son ultime effort pour éviter le crash
The plane, which was carrying 174 people - 166 Israelis and eight crew members, according to media reports - had to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, from where the passengers were brought back to Israel that same evening.
The exact circumstances of the incident and the still unclear motives of the attacker are being investigated in the United Arab Emirates, where the two pilots have been transferred.
The diplomatic advisor to the Emirati president, Anwar Gargash, pointed to a "serious terrorist act" on Friday, while praising the courage of Mr. Machchhar.
"I was trying to save my life, but I knew I couldn't let all these people die," he said from his hospital bed during a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose office relayed the footage.
Smit Machchhar, a pilot for 17 years and captain for 11 years, recounted that he noticed the aircraft falling while he was lying injured in the cockpit, and that he managed to unlock the door, allowing people on board to take control of the aircraft.
"I knew it was my last chance and the door was right there," he recounted. "I was still being beaten, but I just opened the door and everyone walked in."
Mr. Modi said that his "immense courage" had prevented "a great tragedy".
Without waiting for the results of the investigations, Israel denounced a "jihadist terrorist attack attempt", targeting in particular the Emirates and the Abraham Accords which normalized relations between the two countries in 2020.
According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the co-pilot, an Omani national, "had been indoctrinated into radical Islam." He did not, however, rule out the possibility that the act was linked to psychiatric problems.
"Far from hasty simplifications (...) and conspiracy theories, vigilance and caution remain essential in the face of the dangers of extremism and terrorism," Anwar Gargash noted on X.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has announced his intention to award one of the country's highest civilian honors to five Israeli passengers who distinguished themselves through their "collective responsibility" in preventing the plane from crashing.
During a press briefing at the White House on Wednesday, Donald Trump said he thought Iran was involved.
"I would say the answer is yes, based on what I hear, but we are working on it right now," said the US president, who is known for making off-the-cuff remarks.
Flydubai, for its part, called for "refraining from any premature speculation".
The company announced it was suspending flights to and from Israel while the investigation was underway, stranding Israeli visitors in Dubai.
The Israeli company El Al, which had announced it would charter two special flights to repatriate them on Friday, reported in the morning that these flights had been cancelled, without further details.
The Israeli Ministry of Transport, for its part, stated that Israel could not currently establish special connections "due to the need to complete preparations and coordinate" with the Emirati authorities.
El Al suspended its flights between Israel and Dubai after the outbreak of war in the Middle East by Israeli-American strikes against Iran on February 28.
Commentaires (7)
Peut être des problèmes psychiatriques car la politique de l’Etat criminel et voyou d’israël consiste à dire que la terre entière est peuplée de personnes hostiles à cet État genocidaire
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