‘Inspiring to read about raw acts of courage’: US, Jewish group hail Indian pilot’s courage

Washington, Oct 4 (IANS) US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and the Seattle chapter of the American Jewish Committee have hailed Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his role in preventing what they described as an attempted hijacking of a flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

Landau said Machchhar and passengers aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 had shown extraordinary courage in preventing what could have become a major terrorist incident.

“I’d like to express my utmost respect and, frankly, awe to Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073, and to Yaniv Huyan and the other mostly Israeli passengers on that flight for preventing what would have been one of the world’s most horrific terrorist incidents,” Landau said in a social media post.

“In a world in which machines and technology do so much for us, it’s really inspiring to read about raw acts of courage by people who are just living their normal lives and not anticipating such a challenge,” he said.

“The nations of India and Israel should be very proud!” Landau added.

Separately, the Seattle regional office of the American Jewish Committee wrote to India’s Consul General in Seattle, Prakash Gupta, expressing its appreciation for Machchhar’s actions during what it called the “recent attempted hijacking” of the flight.

The letter said the organisation echoed the praise of Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu for the Indian pilot.

“We echo Prime Ministers Modi and Netanyahu in characterizing Captain Machchhar as a hero; without his presence of mind even while gravely injured, over 170 passengers (including over 25 children) would not have survived this terrifying experience,” the AJC Seattle letter said.

The organisation invoked Jewish tradition while commending the pilot’s actions.

“Jewish tradition teaches that saving one life is tantamount to saving the entire world (Sanhedrin 37a). Captain Machchhar’s actions saved over 170 entire worlds, and we commend his courage,” it said.

AJC Seattle also wished Machchhar a full recovery.

“In Hebrew, we say ‘refuah shleimah,’ literally, ‘complete healing',” the letter said. “With those words, we pray for healing not only of the body, but also of the spirit and the mind, because life-and-death experiences often leave scars which are invisible to the human eye.”

The organisation said the episode also underscored the relationship between the Jewish and Indian communities in the Seattle area.

“We deeply value the local relationship between Jews and Indians across the Puget Sound, and know that our friendship here reflects a worldwide brotherhood between our two communities,” it said.

“Captain Smit Machchhar represents the best of India, and we remain forever indebted to him for his role in stopping what could easily have been a tragedy of global proportions,” it further said.