NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian airline captain who was at the controls of a FlyDubai flight when a copilot stabbed him in an apparent attempt to crash the plane has been hailed as a hero, with his actions to thwart the disaster drawing praise from world leaders.
Capt. Smit Machchhar, who hails from India’s financial hub of Mumbai, was seriously injured as passengers rushed into the cockpit and restrained the attacker as the drama unfolded on Wednesday while the Boeing 737 descended sharply, according to witnesses and Israeli authorities.
The attack forced the flight carrying 174 people from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Tel Aviv, Israel, to make an emergency landing in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Machchhar was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, said late Wednesday. Embassy officials were in contact with his family and Saudi authorities.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called Machchhar a hero.
“In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. His valor helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy,” Modi wrote on X.
Little is publicly known about Machchhar, but according to his LinkedIn profile, he has worked for FlyDubai for about four years. Before joining the airline, he spent 11 years with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, where he served as a senior commander and line training captain.
He has logged more than 9,750 flying hours, according to the profile.
Machchhar, who is married and has two children, trained as a pilot at Mainland Air in the New Zealand city of Dunedin for 18 months, beginning in 2008, the school's CEO, Philip Kean, told 1News.
Kean said Machchhar "did very well” as a student and later returned to India where he worked as a recruiter for the school.
“We’re all very proud of him here and wish him a speedy recovery,” he said.
SpiceJet, in a post on X, praised Machchhar’s “heroic courage” and “selfless actions.” “You are a hero to us all, Captain,” the airline wrote.
The attack triggered a major security response in Israel, with authorities scrambling fighter jets in case of a possible hijacking. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker, an Omani national, was arrested in Saudi Arabia and was undergoing interrogation there. His motive for the attack was not immediately clear.
Netanyahu praised Machchhar’s “extraordinary bravery” in a post on X, saying the wounded captain fought back after being stabbed, opened the cockpit door and helped passengers and crew overpower the attacker, preventing what Netanyahu described as a “catastrophic midair disaster.”
“He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals,” Netanyahu wrote.
In Ghatkopar East, the Mumbai suburb where Machchhar’s family lives, neighbors spoke of how easy-going he is and also lauded his courage.
“He has a lot of bravery in him,” said Ami Sapani, a neighbor who knows the family.
Associated Press journalist Charlotte Graham-McLay in Wellington, New Zealand, contributed to this report.
News media personnel film in the building where relatives of Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot for Flydubai, previously lived in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
News media personnel stand outside the building where relatives of Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot for Flydubai, previously lived in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Arike Ogunbowale was standing near Paige Bueckers waiting for the star guard to make a move on her dribble with the Dallas Wings trailing by three as the final seconds of regulation — and their season — ticked away.
Bueckers waved toward her backcourt mate, but she wasn't telling Ogunbowale to get out of the way. She was telling her to get open.
After all, Bueckers knew who the hot hand was — and it wasn't the 2025 No. 1 overall pick and Rookie of the Year who is in her first playoff series.
Ogunbowale took a pass from Bueckers on the left baseline, dribbled toward the corner and hit an off-balance corner 3-pointer, sending the game to overtime and her on the way to a WNBA playoff-record 45 points as the Wings won a thriller 108-100 on Wednesday night, forcing a Game 3 in their first-round series.
The deciding game will be Friday night in San Francisco, where the Valkyries won the series opener by 24 points.
Golden State is trying to advance in the playoffs for the first time in the franchise’s second season. The Wings are trying to reach the semifinals for the second time in six postseason appearances since moving to the Dallas area in 2016.
Ogunbowale opened the extra period of Game 2 by banking in a 3, then hit another one to put Dallas ahead for good at 103-100 with 1:46 remaining. The four-time All-Star easily topped her previous playoff best of 24 points after scoring 10 points on just seven shots in the series opener.
“We felt like we got pushed around out there when we played in San Francisco and especially me personally I don’t feel like I was aggressive,” said Ogunbowale, who was 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, 12 of 23 overall and 16 of 18 on free throws. “I didn’t know what I would score. I was going to shoot regardless because I just feel like seven shots isn’t enough to win playoffs and I have to be aggressive whether it’s going in or not.”
Bueckers, who scored 10 points, was mired in a 3-for-13 shooting night that included an air ball on a 3-pointer with the Wings trailing by three in the final two minutes of regulation. But she assisted on Ogunbowale's tying 3, and again on a the banked 3 to start OT. Bueckers had four assists.
“For us to do what we did today without Paige having the type of game that she always has offensively for us, to come out with a win is huge,” Wings coach Jose Fernandez said. “We had other people step up.”
Ogunbowale's shot for a 93-93 tie with 4.1 seconds left in regulation of Game 2 was followed by Gabby Williams getting called for an offensive foul on the inbound play after a Golden State timeout.
That call was reversed on replay, so instead of Aziaha James having a chance to give Dallas the lead at the free-throw line, there was a jump ball at center court with 3.0 seconds to go. After a scramble for the loose ball, Golden State's desperation shot was way off target, and after the buzzer.
Williams scored a career-high 36 points, regular season or playoffs, but missed all six of her shots in the final 1:31 of overtime to finish 12 of 23 from the field.
“We got one at home, and we got to bring our best,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “That was not our best. Tomorrow’s got to be clear minds, clear focus, clear game plan, and then be ready to go for the game at home.”
Ogunbowale scored 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime — 11 in each period. She passed her previous overall career high of 41 points with the 3 that put Dallas up for good.
Dallas' Alysha Clark tied her playoff career high with 21 points, and Aziaha James added 13.
Kaila Charles scored 14 points for the Valkyries, and Kayla Thornton had 13.
With the scored tied at 98 in the extra period, Ogunbowale and Tiffany Hayes had to be separated after making contact. Both were called for flagrant fouls, and each made a pair of free throws with 2:26 remaining.
The Valkyries didn't score again, shooting 2 of 12 in overtime.
See AP’s full WNBA coverage here
Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) shoots as Dallas Wings' Paige Bueckers, right, defends in the first half of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff game Wednesday Sept. 30, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Alysha Clark (7) celebrates a 3-point basket in the first half as the Golden State Valkyries play the Dallas Wings in Game 2 of the WNBA playoffs first round in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Dallas Wings' Arike Ogunbowale celebrates a basket in the second half of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff game against the Golden State Valkyries Wednesday Sept. 30, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Wings' Arike Ogunbowale (24) shoots in the second half of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff game against the Golden State Valkyries Wednesday Sept. 30, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Wings' Jessica Shepard (32), Paige Bueckers (5) and Arike Ogunbowale (24) celebrate after Ogunbowale sunk a three-pointer in overtime of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff game against the Golden State Valkyries Wednesday Sept. 30, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
