Footage captured on a passenger's phone during flydubai Flight FZ1073 offers a visceral, unfiltered look at the minutes that saved 174 lives. The clip, aired on Israel's Channel 12, shows the cabin in disarray as crew and passengers shout in English and Hebrew, demanding the attacker be removed from the cockpit.
The camera pans to Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot, lying on the floor in a pool of blood outside the cockpit door. He is heard stating that the co-pilot struck him repeatedly. His hand is injured; he can move it but cannot close his fist. Dr Shota Musayev, an Israeli dentist on board, rushes to the scene to assist.
The video cuts to the aftermath on the tarmac in Saudi Arabia, where medics treat Machchhar on a raised platform. Inside the aircraft, the restrained Omani co-pilot sits against a wall, his blood-soaked uniform visible. Passengers insist on keeping him in custody until police arrive, with one crew member declaring, "This is a terrorist, you understand, yes?"
The suspect has since been moved from Saudi custody to Abu Dhabi. UAE authorities announced on October 1, 2026, that they are investigating whether the attack was linked to terrorist activity or involved prior planning.