The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a First Information Report (FIR) into the attack on Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar aboard a Flydubai passenger aircraft on September 30. The Central Government has directed the agency to investigate the case, including whether the incident was part of a larger conspiracy.
The NIA has invoked the Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to investigate a mid-air cockpit attack on an Israel-bound Flydubai flight. The FIR includes provisions related to hijacking, terrorist acts, conspiracy and membership of a terrorist organisation to probe the attack, possible lone-wolf terror motives and radicalisation networks: NIA Sources
— IANS (@ians_india) October 10, 2026
The case has been registered under Section 3 of the Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016, and provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA). The government said the attack on an Indian pilot and the reported attempt to hijack or crash the aircraft required a detailed investigation.
Flight makes sharp dive after cockpit attack
Flydubai Flight FZ1073 departed from Dubai at 7:05 am Gulf Standard Time (GST) on September 30, carrying 174 passengers and six crew members. The aircraft was being flown by Captain Machchhar, an Indian national, and an Omani first officer turned terrorist Hamam al-Hammami .
While flying near the Jordan-Saudi Arabia border, the aircraft reportedly made a sharp dive and turned back towards Saudi airspace after an incident inside the cockpit.
According to information shared by the Central Government, the Omani first officer stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar during the flight. Passengers reported that the attack appeared to be an attempt to hijack the aircraft or cause it to crash.
The captain suffered deep cuts to his head and hands. Passengers and crew members managed to overpower and restrain the first officer following the attack.
Other Flydubai pilots on board then took control of the aircraft and landed it safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, north-western Saudi Arabia, at around 10:45 am GST. Saudi authorities arrested the first officer after the emergency landing.
NIA to probe possible larger conspiracy
The Central Government said the incident involved offences against an Indian national under Section 3 of the Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016, and Section 16 read with Section 15(1)(a) of the UAPA.
These are scheduled offences under the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, which allows the NIA to investigate such cases.
The government directed the agency to register the case under sub-sections (5) and (8) of Section 6, read with Section 8 of the NIA Act.
The investigation will examine what happened inside the aircraft, the circumstances surrounding the attack and whether anyone else was involved in a wider conspiracy. However, the FIR does not establish the first officer’s motive or name any other person as part of a conspiracy.
Indian captain recovering after surgery
Meanwhile, Captain Machchhar is recovering after undergoing an operation at a hospital in Abu Dhabi. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said he was responding well to treatment.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had been in regular contact with the captain’s family, doctors, hospital officials and local authorities to monitor his condition.
“According to the information that we have, his health is improving, and after the operation, he is in the stage of recuperation. He is responding well,” Jaiswal said during the MEA’s bi-weekly media briefing.
India’s Ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, visited Machchhar in hospital on October 1 and said the captain was in good health and recovering well.
The NIA will now investigate the incident to establish the circumstances behind the attack and determine whether it involved a wider plan.
