Machchhar opened the cockpit door despite serious injuries, allowing passengers and crew to intervene during the September 30 flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. UAE prosecutors say the co-pilot attacked him with the cockpit’s emergency axe and attempted to seize the aircraft in a terrorist attack. Additional pilots aboard the flight landed it safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Machchhar later told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “Everyone took an equal part in it.”
The investigation continues alongside scrutiny of pilot screening and security. Airline chiefs said they cannot fully guard against rogue pilots, Reuters reported on October 8. CBS News separately found that the accused co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, had written and shared misogynistic remarks using rhetoric associated with the manosphere.