The Indian airline captain who helped avert an apparent attempt to crash a FlyDubai flight said in a live video call that he knew he had to get back on his feet to save passengers after being stabbed by his co-pilot.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian citizen who was running in Israel’s upcoming election is withdrawing his candidacy following comments over Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Friday. Full coverage is available here.
The FlyDubai captain told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he knew he had to regain control to save everyone on board, after he was stabbed by his co-pilot and the aircraft plunged into a steep descent.
“I had so many wounds. I had fallen down,” Capt. Smit Machchhar said in the video call that was broadcast live from a hospital in Abu Dhabi. “I was fighting for my life. At one point I realized that if I didn’t get up … then passengers would lose their lives.”
Machchhar was seriously injured in Wednesday’s attack but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the attacker as the Boeing 737 descended sharply, witnesses and Israeli authorities said.
The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, with 182 people on board, was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing.
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.
— More coverage on the attempt to crash the plane is available here.
Sami Abou Shehadeh, the chairman of the left-wing Balad party, said he would withdraw from Israel’s upcoming election after the country’s Supreme Court president said a majority of justices were prepared to uphold his disqualification.
Abou Shehadeh’s candidacy was challenged over an editorial he wrote in the newspaper Al-Araby al-Jadeed the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The article did not condemn Hamas and argued that, given conditions in Gaza, it was surprising violence hadn’t erupted earlier.
In a subsequent article, Abou Shehadeh, a former member of Israel’s Knesset, called Hamas’ attack both unacceptable and a crime. He said he hadn’t known the scale of the violence when he wrote the first.
The court weighed whether his remarks violated an Israeli law barring candidates who reject Israel’s existence, incite racism or support armed struggle against Israel. His lawyers said that barring him would reinterpret the law and create a new threshold.
For Abou Shehadeh, who was running on the Arab parties’ Joint List, withdrawing avoids a court precedent that could be used to disqualify Palestinian candidates in future Israeli elections, his party said.
About 20% of Israel's citizens are of Palestinian descent.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
This screengrab from Narendra Modi YouTube Channel shows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking with FlyDubai pilot Capt. Smit Machchhar on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (Narendra Modi YouTube Channel via AP )
Formula 1's replacement race in Malaysia was meant to be the ultimate test in the rain. It hasn't arrived yet.
Both practice sessions on Friday defied the forecast of heavy rain to stay dry and keep things uncertain about how this year's cars will cope if wet weather comes.
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were the pacesetters in the two sessions on a day of learning for standings leader Kimi Antonelli, who's looking to bounce back from what he's called his “worst weekend” of the season.
The unusually named Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia takes Antonelli and his rivals to a track F1 last visited in 2017, returning to the schedule because of the disruption caused by the Iran war.
Malaysia has a history of chaotic races and sudden downpours and the abrasive asphalt tends to chew up tires, too. It could be the first real wet race since F1 shook up its regulations for 2026.
Verstappen led first practice by 0.383 seconds from George Russell, winner of last week's race in Azerbaijan, with Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar third. Leclerc was fastest by .099 from Hadjar in the second as Lando Norris placed third for McLaren.
Antonelli was fifth in the first practice session and eighth in the second.
Antonelli still has a dominant 66-point lead over Mercedes teammate Russell, but that was trimmed from 81 last week after his crash in qualifying made for damage limitation in Azerbaijan.
Antonelli scrambled from 16th on the grid to finish fifth, helped by plenty of incidents ahead of him, while Russell held off Verstappen for his first win in nearly three months.
“Last weekend was probably the worst weekend from me, from my side of the season,” the 20-year-old Antonelli said.
“It was what I needed on Sunday, I needed a clean result after a very disruptive weekend. After the race, I wasn’t happy with the result and everything but I learn many things and the most important is that I need to always be 100%.
“I need to really do my best to achieve the best result because if I don’t do everything right, or I don’t try to do everything right in my power, then nothing is going to come my way.”
The 28-year-old Russell has made no secret of his struggles getting used to the 2026 cars, as he's had to watch his younger teammate dominate week-in, week-out.
After using the mid-season break to change his approach, a process he's likened to a golfer getting used to a new swing, Russell finally seemed comfortable in Azerbaijan.
He went fastest by nearly a second in qualifying, and his narrow margin of victory over Verstappen in the race owed more to an unusual yellow-flag decision on track than anything else.
Mercedes has brought a package of upgrades to its car this week, something Russell predicts could help him.
“I’m enjoying it more than I have done recently because I just feel more at one with the car and hopefully this new upgrade with a few characteristic changes that will also play into my favor a bit more," he said Thursday. "Bring it on."
Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari remains united as he criticized attempts to “break our spirit” after the Italian brand confirmed it retains confidence in Fred Vasseur as team principal.
“Outside sources seem to be so negative towards us as a team and trying to break our spirit, but they’re not succeeding,” Hamilton said.
The latest speculation over Vasseur's future came after former Red Bull boss Christian Horner told the Times of London last week that Ferrari was the only team in F1 he'd consider joining without an ownership stake, calling it “the dream” and a “sleeping giant.”
Meanwhile, Ferrari is struggling on the track, with no podium finishes in the last five races for Hamilton or Charles Leclerc.
See AP’s full auto racing coverage here
Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc of Monaco and his teammate Lewis Hamilton of Britain steer their cars during the first free practice session ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Spectators watch Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco steers his car during the second practice session ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Artists wearing costumes arrive to perform for fans ahead of the first free practice of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
People watch Mercedes pit crew practice on the car of driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy ahead of the first free practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain steers his car during the first free practice session ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands prepares for the first free practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the first free practice session ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain speaks during an interview outside the paddock ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy, right, at the pit wall ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy arrives in the pit-lane after the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix auto race in Baku, Azerbaijan, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
