Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed visited Captain Smit Machchhar in an Abu Dhabi hospital after the Indian pilot helped thwart an attack aboard a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv. Hamdan praised him for having “embodied the highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life.”

Machchhar described opening the cockpit door while wounded and still being assaulted during a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Everyone took an equal part in it,” he said. “What I did was to save my life, but at the same time, I knew I couldn't let everyone else die.” Passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot, and additional pilots aboard landed flight FZ1073 safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 30.

The UAE prosecutor general said the co-pilot attacked Machchhar with the cockpit’s emergency crash axe and tried to seize control in an attempted terrorist attack. Investigators are examining possible connections to others and physical and digital evidence. Flydubai has suspended Tel Aviv operations until further notice at the authorities’ request and is supporting disrupted passengers with alternative arrangements where possible.