A bipartisan group of U.S. House members introduced a resolution Monday honoring the captain, crew and passengers of flydubai Flight 1073 and condemning the attempted terrorist attack aboard the Israel-bound flight.
The resolution, H. Res. 1612, sponsored by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and co-sponsored by Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.), honors Capt. Smit Machchhar for his “extraordinary courage” after he was seriously wounded by the flight’s first officer.
“Captain Machchhar is a hero,” Gottheimer stated. “Congress must honor his extraordinary courage, and we must be clear that this was an act of terrorism and an attack on the safety of international air travel.”
Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing off-duty pilots, crew members and passengers to enter and subdue the attacker. The Boeing 737 then diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and landed safely after losing more than 14,000 feet of altitude in less than 30 seconds, according to the resolution.
“The world owes a debt of gratitude to these heroes, especially Capt. Smit Machchhar, who sustained injuries fighting the attacker and still managed to unlock the cockpit door and allow others to land the plane,” McCaul stated.
“Were it not for his extraordinary courage, this story could have ended in horrific tragedy,” he added.
The resolution, which was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wishes Machchhar and the other injured victims a full recovery and commends the off-duty pilots, cabin crew and passengers who secured the flight deck.
It also calls for a full and expeditious investigation by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with the United States and Israel to be kept fully informed.
Flight 1073 departed Dubai International Airport for Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Sept. 30 carrying approximately 174 passengers, most of them Israeli citizens, including four U.S. citizens and 27 children. During the flight, the first officer allegedly attacked Machchhar with an emergency crash axe and attempted to seize control of the aircraft.
The UAE attorney general, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said on Oct. 3 that an Emirati investigation determined that the first officer, identified in reports as Hamam al-Hammami, had attempted to carry out a “terrorist act.”
