The United States (US) has lauded Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar and Israeli passengers for their “raw acts of courage” in preventing what could have been one of the world’s most horrific terrorist incidents aboard a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv.US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau expressed “utmost respect” and “awe” for Machchhar and Israeli passenger Yaniv Huyan, along with other passengers, for confronting the threat aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 and helping prevent the aircraft from being brought down.“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 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.Landau added: “The nations of India and Israel should be very proud!”The remarks come days after the September 30 incident involving the flydubai flight, in which an Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar in the cockpit while the aircraft was flying from the UAE to Tel Aviv with 179 people on-board.The aircraft reportedly went into a rapid descent after the attack. Machchhar fought back while passengers moved to restrain the attacker, and a third pilot travelling as a passenger entered the cockpit and helped the crew regain control of the aircraft.The aircraft was subsequently diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.The incident has triggered an investigation into the background of the suspected attacker, 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, and how he was cleared to serve as a co-pilot despite reports of earlier concerns over his alleged extremist views.Machchhar has separately been praised by the UAE leadership for his handling of the crisis. UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Crown Prince of Dubai Hamdan bin Mohammed visited him at an Abu Dhabi hospital and described the Indian pilot as embodying “the highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life”.The US praise adds an international dimension to the recognition of Machchhar and the passengers who intervened during the potentially catastrophic incident, highlighting the role of individual courage in averting a mass-casualty disaster.