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Eliran Almog, a former Israeli helicopter pilot turned aviation cybersecurity firm CEO, explained just how «crazy» it was that the near-hijacked FlyDubai flight 1073 managed to land safely after a violent midair attack.

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«You can’t imagine being in that position. You see the videos, you hear the kids screaming, and people don’t necessarily understand what is happening,» the former Israeli Air Force pilot told Fox News Digital.

After an Omani national copilot — who has since been identified as 29-year-old Hamam al-Hammami — allegedly stabbed FlyDubai flight 1073’s pilot Capt. Smit Machchhar mid-flight, the aircraft plummeted more than 14,000 feet in 30 seconds.

«The g-force on the plane was enormous, and you basically think you are going to die,» Almog said, adding «it’s crazy that the aircraft did not break up in the air, and landing it with the tail damage it sustained was remarkable.»

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FLYDUBAI PASSENGER SAYS CO-PILOT STABBED CAPTAIN BEFORE TERRIFYING PLUNGE, EMERGENCY LANDING

A FlyDubai aircraft carrying Israelis who experienced an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia is seen parked at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (Ariel Schalit/AP)

Despite sustaining serious injuries, Machchhar was able to hit a button to open the cockpit door, allowing Israeli passengers to rush into the cockpit and subdue al-Hammami, officials said. A second FlyDubai crew that happened to be aboard the craft then stabilized the plane and successfully completed an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

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FLYDUBAI PILOT SHOWED WORLD ‘THE HIGHEST FORM OF COURAGE,’ INDIA’S PM SAYS

«As a pilot, if I were in this situation, I’m not sure I could have landed the aircraft. Every commercial aircraft is different, requiring different setup, landing procedures and limitations,» Almog explained.

Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who allegedly was attacked on a FlyDubai plane heading to Israel on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (Israel Foreign Ministry)

Almog, who now advises airliners and adjacent businesses on how to shore up their cybersecurity, explained how crucial it was for carriers to ensure their pilots undergo thorough screening processes for both psychological and potential political risks.

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FLYDUBAI CO-PILOT ACCUSED OF STABBING CAPTAIN IDENTIFIED AS 29-YEAR-OLD OMANI NATIONAL

«We give a lot of weight in the process to the characteristics of the pilot. The technical and cognitive skills are important, but we make sure that the pilot is balanced and resilient in extreme cases,» he said.

«Because aviation is critical infrastructure, we must rethink how we screen pilots — not just initially, but continuously. Even for experienced pilots, we need the right tools in place to identify when someone is facing family issues, psychological distress, or developing extreme views that could impose risk. These are practices the industry needs to adopt, and I call on governments and regulators to step in,» he continued.

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PILOT’S SUDDEN DEATH DURING OVERNIGHT LAYOVER PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON FATIGUE CONCERNS

While numerous countries, including Israel and Saudi Arabia, are conducting their own investigations into al-Hammami and the FlyDubai incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox & Friends in a Thursday interview that the copilot had been exposed to «Islamist radical indoctrination.»

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, suggested the pilot could have been trained or motivated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

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TRUMP’S IRAN CRACKDOWN COLLIDES WITH NATO ALLY SEEKING ACCESS TO AMERICA’S PRIZED FIGHTER JET

Almog told Fox News Digital that geopolitical concerns, such as the ones imposed by the ongoing wars in the Middle East, are increasingly becoming airlines’ top risk factor for a number of reasons.

«If you ask the airlines today what are the main risks that they are looking forward on, it is geopolitical risk,» he said. «… We are tracking GNSS and GPS jamming and spoofing activities, and I can show you the map and you can understand exactly where the conflicts are.»

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AMERICANS WARNED AGAIN TO RETHINK TRAVEL AS MISSILE ATTACK RATTLES HISTORIC REGION

Almog also explained how pilots are not the only people airlines need to screen or keep an eye on.

«Pilots aren’t the only ones who can crash a plane. Over 80% of cybersecurity threats come from insiders — many of whom may not even realize they are posing a risk,» he said. «It isn’t just pilots; it’s cabin crew and maintenance personnel. A plane can crash without the right fuel balance or proper maintenance parameters. Aviation relies on a complex supply chain. It would be a mistake to limit psychological screening and background monitoring to pilots alone — it needs to expand to every person who impacts flight operations.»

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Almog also praised both the resiliency of the flight’s passengers and the heroism of Capt. Machchhar.

FATAL AIR AMBULANCE CRASH EXPOSES GROWING GPS DANGER FACING US FLIGHTS

A side by side image of Capt. Smit Machchhar, the FlyDubai pilot who was stabbed in mid air on Sept. 30, 2026, and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an Oct. 2, 2026 phone call between the pair. (Narendra Modi YouTube Channel via AP)

«Ultimately, this was a chain of circumstances that prevented a total disaster,» he said. «Beyond personal resilience, it took the courage of the off-duty Indian pilot who opened the door, and the fact that FlyDubai had two other pilots on board who landed the aircraft safely.»

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«As a pilot, I can tell you that isn’t easy. Landing an unfamiliar commercial aircraft type under extreme stress requires specialized training, which is why rigorous screening and continuous support for flight crews are so vital,» he added.

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The head of Tennessee’s prison system is resigning after the state’s failed lethal injection of convicted murderer Christa Pike left her hospitalized and on a ventilator.

Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada will step down this month, Gov. Bill Lee said Saturday.

In a statement distributed by the governor’s office, Strada said stepping aside was «in the best interest of Tennesseans» while an independent review examines what went wrong during the botched execution.

«I believe this review is entirely appropriate and necessary, and I look forward to doing everything I can to help determine exactly what occurred,» Strada said.

DEATH ROW INMATE UNCONSCIOUS ON VENTILATOR AFTER BOTCHED EXECUTION FOR TEEN’S KILLING: ATTORNEYS

At Lee’s request, the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office has retained former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton to conduct an independent review of the correction department’s actions in carrying out Pike’s court-ordered sentence, the state announced Saturday. 

The review will examine the state Department of Correction’s actions in carrying out Pike’s court-ordered sentence, including whether the state’s execution protocol was followed and whether additional recommendations are needed.

Lee also called off the remaining execution scheduled in Tennessee this year pending completion of the review.

Stanton previously conducted an independent review of Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol in 2022. His work prompted the state and Attorney General’s Office to substantially rewrite the protocol before executions resumed.

Lee said Strada served with integrity, adding that he appreciates his «willingness to put the interests of Tennesseans first during this difficult moment.»

«I have accepted his decision to step down and am grateful for his commitment to ensuring a smooth leadership transition,» Lee said.

CHRISTA PIKE’S BOTCHED LETHAL INJECTION TAKES FOCUS OFF VICTIM, JEOPARDIZES EXECUTION: FORMER POLICE CHIEF

Pike, 50, was injected with two doses of pentobarbital on Wednesday night, and prison officials used at least seven needles while trying to find a vein.

Pike was heard crying, whimpering, and breathing loudly during the execution, according to a Friday court filing from her lawyers.

She was taken to the hospital, where she had to be intubated and put on a ventilator, her lawyers said.

In a statement obtained by The Associated Press, Pike’s four-person legal team celebrated the departure of Strada but said it wasn’t enough.

«What happened to her Wednesday reflects a systemic failure that goes far beyond any one person,» they said. «We hope the governor’s call for a full, independent review will expose the profound problems within Tennessee’s entire death penalty system.»

Her lawyers said in the court filing that the prison staff did not correctly place the IV lines. They also claimed staff failed to realize that one of Pike’s veins burst, leading to at least some of the pentobarbital entering her body.

DEATH ROW INMATE TONY CARRUTHERS WON’T FACE EXECUTION FOR AT LEAST A YEAR AFTER IV LINE FAILURE IN TENNESSEE

Strada became commissioner of Tennessee’s correction department in January 2023 after serving as deputy director of the Arizona Department of Corrections. In late 2024, he announced that Tennessee would solely use pentobarbital as its execution drug.

Four people have been executed in Tennessee since last year, according to the department.

On the evening of Jan. 12, 1995, Christa Pike, then 18, lured 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer into a wooded area near the University of Tennessee’s agricultural campus.

Pike and her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, then spent 30 minutes torturing Slemmer, while 18-year-old Shadolla Peterson served as a lookout.

According to her confession to authorities, Pike killed Slemmer because she believed she was interested in her boyfriend romantically.

Even though Shipp directly participated in the murder, he was ineligible for the death penalty because he was 17 at the time. He was sentenced to life in prison with parole, which he has not yet received.

Peterson, who cooperated with investigators and testified against Pike and Shipp, was given 460 days in jail after pleading guilty to being an accessory.

Pike was the only one in the case sentenced to death and became one of the youngest women to be sent to death row. She would have been the first woman to be executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

tennessee, homicide, crime world, politics

La Argentina empezará un proceso inédito en el marco del derecho internacional que, de tener el resultado esperado por el Gobierno nacional, significará un importante triunfo en la estrategia adoptada en las últimas semanas para ejercer presión contra el Reino Unido, el gobierno isleño y las empresas privadas que buscan llevar adelante la exploración y explotación de hidrocarburos en las Islas Malvinas.

Tras una profunda evaluación y debate interno entre equipos jurídicos y expertos en el derecho del mar, la Cancillería argentina iniciará un proceso de arbitraje internacional con un pedido de medidas provisionales con el objetivo de frenar de inmediato el avance del proyecto Sea Lion hasta tanto se resuelva la cuestión de fondo.

TN consultó distintos expertos y fuentes oficiales para reconstruir el camino que está iniciando la Argentina con esta presentación, el posible impacto a futuro y la posición que podría adoptar el gobierno británico.

El paso a paso del arbitraje internacional al que acudirá la Argentina

La Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Derecho del Mar (CONVEMAR) se creó en diciembre de 1982 y entró en vigencia en noviembre de 1994. Fueron más de 10 años en los que se negoció el sistema de resolución de controversias, las regiones y áreas alcanzadas por la nueva convención y el nivel de obligación al que se someterían los estados frente al nuevo marco que regularía los mares y océanos.

Para entender el procedimiento del reclamo argentino es fundamental comprender el sistema de resolución de controversias que se plantea en el marco de la CONVEMAR.

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