Event Brief
UPDATED Oct 18, 2026 at 7:06 PM ET
Oct 17, 2026 at 3:09 PM ET
Flydubai captain recounts co-pilot's cockpit attack
By The BriefBrief
Captain Smit Machchhar said he blocked axe blows to his head and screamed for help during an attack by a co-pilot on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The UAE attorney general has said the co-pilot intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport. Machchhar spoke in an interview with The National from a hospital.
WHO: Captain Smit Machchhar
WHAT: Machchhar described blocking axe blows from a co-pilot who attacked him aboard a flydubai flight.
WHEN: Reported Oct 18, 2026 at 2:38 PM ET
WHERE: Israel
WHY: The UAE attorney general said the co-pilot intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport.
How this story developed (showing 2 of 2 earlier reports)
Reporting from 3 identified publishers across this event arc.
View all 3 publishers
Publishers represented across this event arc
These publishers contributed reporting to the broader event history. Not every source addresses the specific development described above.
How this brief is built: The BriefBrief uses multi-source information fusion to correlate reporting across sources, identify related developments, and continuously update a structured WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE and WHY event picture. Pattern arcs, source analysis, and velocity indicators provide deeper analysis in our MI Console.
Protests leave damage across three French cities
France
Oct 18, 2026 at 7:06 PM ET
Photographer says settlers attacked her in West Bank
Heidi Levine
Oct 18, 2026 at 7:05 PM ET
Rams kicker Blake Grupe injures knee on kickoff tackle
Los Angeles Rams
Oct 18, 2026 at 7:03 PM ET
Trump endorses Netanyahu for re-election
Donald Trump
Oct 18, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET
