US House bill honors Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for stopping flydubai terror attack

A US House resolution introduced on October 5 seeks to honor Indian Captain Smit Machchhar for thwarting an attempted terrorist attack on flydubai Flight 1073, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia after the incident. The bill, introduced by Congressmen Josh Gottheimer, Don Bacon, and Michael McCaul, details that the first officer attacked Machchhar with an emergency crash axe, causing the plane to lose over 16,000 feet in altitude. Despite serious injuries, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door, allowing off-duty pilots and crew to restrain the attacker and land the aircraft safely in Tabuk. The resolution condemns the act as terrorism and calls for investigations by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Indian Embassy reports Machchhar is recovering steadily, while US President Donald Trump has alleged Iran was behind the attack, a claim not yet officially confirmed.