Washington, 01 October (H.S.):

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, described the co-pilot accused of stabbing Indian captain Smit Machchhar aboard a flydubai passenger aircraft as a possible terrorist, while acknowledging that the motive behind the incident remained unclear.

Trump said he had spoken at length with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

According to Trump, the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar during the flight. However, the US president did not suggest that authorities had established a definitive motive for the confrontation.

The Boeing 737 was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after a violent confrontation broke out in the cockpit on Wednesday. The aircraft subsequently experienced a dramatic loss of altitude before passengers and crew members intervened.

Machchhar was injured during the confrontation and was taken to a hospital in Tabuk. India's Embassy in Riyadh later said the captain was stable and receiving medical treatment, while officials remained in contact with his family.

The incident prompted an extraordinary response from passengers and crew members aboard the aircraft. According to accounts released by officials, passengers entered the cockpit and helped restrain the co-pilot, while other pilots travelling on the aircraft assisted in restoring control.

The aircraft eventually landed safely in Saudi Arabia. The passengers were subsequently taken to Israel on another flight.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised Machchhar for his actions during the emergency, describing the Indian captain's response as an act of exceptional courage. Netanyahu also credited the passengers and crew members who intervened during the crisis.

The circumstances surrounding the cockpit confrontation are still being investigated. Authorities have not publicly established whether the incident was motivated by terrorism, nor have they disclosed a definitive explanation for the alleged attack.

Saudi authorities have taken the co-pilot into custody as investigators work to reconstruct the sequence of events aboard flight FZ1073.

The episode has also renewed attention on cockpit security and the screening of pilots operating flights to Israel. Israeli authorities have indicated that additional security measures may be introduced following the incident.

For investigators, key questions remain over what triggered the confrontation, how the alleged attack unfolded and what caused the aircraft's rapid descent.

Until the investigation is completed, officials have yet to establish a definitive motive behind the incident.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar