In an almost ten-minute conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pilot Smit Machchhar recalled that he "collapsed" from injuries caused by the stabbing perpetrated by his co-pilot during the flight between Dubai and Tel Aviv. With bandages and connected to an oxygen tube from the hospital where he is recovering, the commander acknowledged that he made a "last effort" to open the cabin door and allow the passengers to enter to subdue the attacker.

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From the Abu Dhabi hospital bed where he continues his recovery after being stabbed by his co-pilot on the Flydubai flight, Smit Machchhar, the Indian commander of the aircraft covering the Dubai-Tel Aviv route, gave a unique look at last Wednesday's attack that, thanks to his intervention, did not end in a catastrophe.

During an almost ten-minute conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – who uploaded the video to his

"I knew perfectly well that the door was right there, I just had to make one last effort to open it"

With bandages on his head and hands, a tube in his nose and wiping away tears at different times in his story, the pilot stated that "when I was on the ground, I felt like the plane was going into a dive," confirming what tracking sites revealed about the aircraft's abrupt drop of about 17,000 feet in altitude in one minute.

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The pilot, originally from Mumbai and with 17 years of experience (11 as captain), confessed that, at that moment, "he knew perfectly well that the door was right there, he just had to make one last effort to open it." "And still they kept hitting me. I just opened it, sir, and the others came in," he explained to Modi.

"I was trying to save my life, but I knew I couldn't let all these people die," he insisted.

That gesture with the last breath allowed other passengers to enter and subdue the attacker – identified as a citizen from Oman – and one of them managed to stabilize the Boeing 737. Two other members of the crew of the plane – which was carrying 182 people, most of them Israelis – later managed to land in Tabuk, in the northwest of Saudi Arabia.

In the communication, Modi told Machchhar that his "bravery, patience and serenity" saved hundreds of lives and averted "a great tragedy."

In addition to his flying experience, the commander said that, during difficult times, it gave him "courage" to recite the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu devotional hymn dedicated to the monkey god Hanuman, which is traditionally prayed to ask for strength and courage.

Read alsoWho is Smit Machchhar, the stabbed Indian pilot who according to Israel foiled an attack on a Flydubai flight?

United Arab Emirates describes the incident as a "terrorist act" for the first time

For the first time since the attack, a senior UAE official called the FlyDubai flight incident a "terrorist act."

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to President Mohammed bin Zayed, stated on his X account that pilot Smit Machchhar "deserves the highest recognition" for his "bravery and responsibility in facing a serious terrorist act and a possible disaster."

"His professionalism and moral integrity in the most extreme circumstances make him a true hero," he stressed.

In parallel, he added that "beyond simplistic interpretations of the facts or the adoption and promotion of conspiracy theories, vigilance and precaution remain essential to confront the dangers of extremism and terrorism."

It is a testing scenario for the Emirati government, which has built a reputation for implementing effective measures against extremist activities, but which often reacts angrily to criticism of security failures.

For Jon Alterman, director of the Global Security and Geostrategy program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, "the Emiratis will be interested in protecting their reputation."

"They consider that they should be perceived as a very safe place, not as a place where serious failures occur," he stressed to the AP news agency.

Gargash drew attention by referring to the possible "terrorist" background of the event, while the Emirati and Saudi Arabian authorities – the emergency landing site of the flight – have so far limited themselves to treating it as a "security incident."

On Thursday, October 1, the United Arab Emirates Attorney General's Office announced the creation of a team of specialized prosecutors to investigate whether there were terrorist motivations in the pilot.

For its part, Saudi Arabia, which opened the initial investigation together with the United Arab Emirates, confirmed last night that the Omani co-pilot stabbed the Indian captain and that both, after having recorded improvements in their health, had been discharged and had traveled to Abu Dhabi.

Read alsoPilot fight in the air and emergency landing: what we know about the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight that was diverted

After some delays, Israel begins repatriation flights

In Israel, however, the official narrative assumes that it was an attempted "terrorist" attack carried out by an Omani co-pilot who, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had undergone "radical Islamist indoctrination."

Although the facts remain subject to investigation and the attacker's motives are unclear, this Friday, October 2, Netanyahu insisted on that version and once again pointed out that the attacker "had the intention of crashing the plane along with its passengers."

In a video released by his office, the Israeli premier – who at the end of the month is staking his future in office in parliamentary elections with an uncertain outcome – maintained that it is still not known whether the pilot was acting alone or not and that "we are clarifying at this moment if he was sent by someone." "And whoever sent it will pay a high price," he stressed.

"The Emiratis do not understand Israel's attitude; they have the feeling that the issue is motivated by the elections and not by logic"

Both Israel and the United States have hinted at possible Iranian involvement, prompting Donald Trump to threaten to "hit the Persian-majority country very hard" if any type of involvement in the incident is proven.

Meanwhile, this Friday, Israel began repatriation flights to bring back passengers stranded in the United Arab Emirates following the suspension of Flydubai trips between the two countries following the attack.

Although the Israeli flag airline El Al had warned that the Emirati authorities delayed granting the necessary landing permits to operate flights to Dubai, the arrivals of flights from the Israeli airlines Arkia and Israir from Dubai at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport were scheduled for late October 2 and early Saturday.

As reported by the Israeli 'Channel 12', there is a feeling in the Government of the United Arab Emirates that the Israeli Executive is using the incident on the Flydubai flight for political purposes, in the final stretch of the electoral campaign.

A source close to the Emirati Government indicated to that medium that the interruption of Flydubai services is the responsibility of Israel and questioned the presentation of repatriation trips operated by Israeli airlines as "rescue flights" because it presents an image of the United Arab Emirates as "a country at war or in crisis, when that is not the case."

"The Emiratis do not understand Israel's attitude; they have the feeling that the matter is motivated by the elections and not by logic," the official told 'Channel 12'.

With AP, EFE, AFP and local media

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