'India proud of him', PM Modi calls Flydubai attack injured Captain Smit a hero

New Delhi: A pilot lying on the floor in a pool of blood pressed just one button with the last force, and this one action saved the lives of 174 people on board. Now the series of praise for Indian pilot Captain Smit for this extraordinary bravery has reached Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Modi posted on X, calling Captain Smit a "hero" in simple words. He wrote that the indomitable courage shown by the captain in the face of the most serious danger and despite being badly injured, it was the indomitable courage that saved hundreds of lives and averted a major tragedy. The PM further said that the whole of India is proud of Captain Mosquito, and also prayed for his speedy recovery.

Trump and Netanyahu also praises captain

Not only India, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have also saluted the bravery of Captain. In fact, despite the co-pilot's knife attack, the captain showed prudence and opened the cockpit door and called for help, which foiled the alleged plot to crash the plane. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said that the pilot's condition was very serious and still is, but the wisdom he showed was really amazing and in a way he proved to be a true hero.

How the whole incident happened

According to Israeli officials, all the passengers and crew on board arrived safely in Israel on Wednesday, as the passengers together foiled the co-pilot's plot. In fact, the whole conflict started when the co-pilot suddenly attacked the captain with a knife, after which the plane came down about 14,000 feet in just less than 30 seconds.

Netanyahu's spokesman told Reuters that even in such a critical situation, when the captain was lying on the floor covered in blood, he somehow pressed the button that opened the cockpit door. This one attempt gave the passengers and crew a chance to control the co-pilot. After this, the pair of other pilots of Flydubai on board took command and landed the jet safely in the city of Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.

Treatment continues, condition stable

According to Indian officials in Saudi Arabia, Captain Smit is being given necessary medical assistance at a hospital in Tabuk, and officials are in constant touch with his family and Saudi authorities to provide all necessary assistance. His condition is currently stable, the Indian Embassy said in a X post. According to media reports, Captain Smit, a resident of Mumbai, has also undergone surgery after the incident. According to his LinkedIn profile, he had served with India's SpiceJet airline for more than 11 years before joining flydubee.

The cause of the attack is still unsolved

However, the real reason why this violent collision between the pilots took place is not yet clear. Flydubai said in a statement that the root cause of the incident is currently unknown, and has advised to avoid any hasty conclusions. The airline has suspended all its flights to Israel pending the completion of the investigation. Netanyahu described the incident as a "very serious security matter" and said that Saudi authorities will now interrogate the co-pilot of this flight of Flyduba.