Iranian President Isaac Herzog sent a letter to flydubai hero Smit Machchhar, who fought off an attack by his co-pilot mid-air and averted a potential hijacking incident, urging him to visit Jerusalem and collect the State of Israel’s Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism.
The Israeli President posted a picture of Machchhar reading the letter, and a snap of the letter itself. He had to undergo brain surgery as a result.
Calling the flydubai captain, who is still recovering from his injuries at a Dubai hospital, a “hero” to India, Israel and the world, Herzog said he looks forward to welcoming him in Jerusalem as he “regains” his strength. The flydubai captain had earlier told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the co-pilot who attacked him repeatedly struck him from behind with the cockpit’s emergency axe. “Your ability to find the strength to rise above the pain, to combat the immediate threat to your life, and to operate sound judgment demonstrates the strength of your character and the great valor you possess,” Herzog said, adding that Machchhar will become a part of Israel’s history. The Omani co-pilot confessed that he had originally planned to take control of flydubai Flight FZ1073 and crash it into the passenger terminal of Tel Aviv’s international airport, according to preliminary investigations.
