‘TRUE HERO’: Captain of FlyDubai flight says he opened door with his ‘last push’

, 2027. MARTHA? >> Martha: STEPHANIE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SO, A HIGH PRICE WILL BE PAID, SAYS THE ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER, BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISSUING A. STARK WARNING AS WE LEARN NEW. DETAILS ABOUT THE FLYDUBAI. ATTACK. WE ARE NOW HEARING TO LOOK--. DIRECTLY FROM THE HERO CAPTAIN, WHOSE COPILOT TRIED TO KILL HIM, STABBING HIM, AND CRASHED THE. PLANE WHICH WOULD HAVE KILLED. MORE THAN 170 PEOPLE ON BOARD.

THIS FLIGHT ACCORDING TO. OFFICIALS. THIS IS THE CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN. MACHCHHAR, DESCRIBING TO INDIA'S. PRIME MINISTER HOW HE MANAGED TO. GET TO THE COCKPIT DOOR WHILE HE. WAS UNDER ATTACK SO OTHERS COULD. RUSH IN TO HELP. WATCH. [Speaking Alternate Language]. >> Voice of Interpreter: I HAD. FALLEN ON THE GROUND AND I. REALIZED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS. GOING DOWN. AND I TOLD MYSELF THAT THIS IS. THE LAST PUSH. THE DOOR IS RIGHT THERE. AND I WAS STILL GETTING HIT, BUT. I OPENED THE DOOR. OTHERS CAME IN AND PLAYED A.

ROLE. I WAS FIGHTING FOR MY OWN LIFE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME I KNEW I. WAS NOT GOING TO LET THE OTHERS. DIE. >> Martha: WHAT AN. EXTRAORDINARY HERO THAT MAN IS. OUR FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT. REPORTING LIVE WITH NEW. INFORMATION ON WHAT HAPPENED. HERE FROM TEL AVIV. HELLO, JEFF. >> Reporter: JUST INCREDIBLE, AND AS YOU SAW THERE, THE HERO. CAPTAIN SPEAKING FOR THE FIRST. TIME, SPEAKING FROM HIS HOSPITAL. BED IN ABU DHABI, TALKING TO. INDIA'S PRIME MINISTER.

NARENDRA MODI PICKED THE. PRIME MINISTER PERSONALLY. THANKING HIM FOR HIS BRAVERY AND. COURAGEOUS ACTION, THAT. SPLIT-SECOND DECISION MAKING TO. OPEN UP THE COCKPIT DOOR AND. ALLOW OTHERS IN AND SAID THAT. LIKELY SAVED A LOT OF LIVES. THE PRIME MINISTER ALSO SAID. THAT ALL OF INDIA IS PRAYING FOR. HIS RECOVERY. AND HE HAS MADE THE COUNTRY. PROUD. BUT THE INVESTIGATION. SURROUNDING WHY THIS HAPPENED IS. STILL VERY MUCH UNDERWAY. , THE COPILOT WHO AUTHORITIES. SAY TRIED TO ATTACK CAPTAIN.

MACHCHHAR AND DOWN THE PLANE IS. FROM THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. THE U.K.'S LEADING THE. INVESTIGATION WITH HELP FROM. SAUDI ARABIA. PRIME MINISTER. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU SAYS THE. ATTACKERS FROM OMAN AND TODAY. OFFERED A CLEAR PICTURE AS TO. WHAT MIGHT HAVE MOTIVATED THE. SUSPECT. >> HE INTENDED TO CRASH THE. PLANE. WE ARE INVESTIGATING NOW WHETHER. IT WAS SENT AND WHOEVER SENT HIM. WILL PAY A HIGH PRICE. >> Reporter: WHEN ASKED IF. IRAN HAD ANY SORT OF ROLE TO. PLAY IN THIS, PRESIDENT TRUMP.

SAYING THAT HE COULD HAVE. IT TURNS OUT THAT THEY-- HE SAYS. IF IT TURNS OUT THAT THEY DID. HAVE A ROLE, THEY WOULD BE HIT. VERY HARD. MARTHA? >> Martha: THANK YOU VERY. MUCH. WITH THAT WE BRING IN AN ISRAELI. JOURNALIST, IT'S GOOD TO HAVE. YOU WITH US TODAY. YOU HEAR THE PRIME MINISTER, BENJAMIN NETANYAHU SAYING THERE. TRYING TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR. NOT THIS COPILOT WAS SENT BY. SOMEONE. WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING ABOUT. THAT? >> I CAN TELL YOU AT THIS POINT. WE DON'T HAVE A LINK TO A. SPECIFIC TERROR ORGANIZATION.

DURING THE INVESTIGATION THEY. DID FIND OUT THAT HE WAS SORT OF. STARTING TO SHOW EMPATHY TO THIS. SORT OF INDOCTRINATION. THE COPILOT. BUT WE SHOULD MENTION AT THIS. POINT IT WAS MOSTLY INVESTIGATED. BY THE SAUDIS, AND NOW THE. EMIRATES ARE GOING TO BE IN. CHARGE OF THIS INVESTIGATION. AND ISRAELI AUTHORITIES, ISRAELI. OFFICIALS HAVE STARTED SAYING. THEY REALLY WANT TO BE A PART.

>> Martha: WILL THEY BE? >> THEY ARE GETTING A FEW SIGNS. THAT THEY WILL BE A PART OF THAT. INVESTIGATION. AND I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR. THE MASSAGE TO BE A PART OF IT. THEY HAVE SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE AND. INTELLIGENCE ON THOSE TERROR. ORGANIZATIONS, SO THEY CAN DO A. DEEP DIVE INTO THAT TO. UNDERSTAND WHAT REALLY WENT ON. BEHIND THE SCENES BEFORE WE GOT. ON THAT PLANE, WHETHER OTHER. PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED, BECAUSE. THEY ARE NOT SURE IF OTHER. PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED. WE ARE TWO DAYS AFTER THIS CRAZY. STORY, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHICH. TERROR ORGANIZATION WAS IN. CHARGE OF THAT, AND WHETHER.

THERE WAS A SPECIFIC TERROR. ORGANIZATION THAT WAS IN CHARGE. OF THAT. AND PRIME MR. NETANYAHU HAS BEEN. SAYING TODAY, HE HAS GONE. THROUGH AN ISLAMIC RADICAL. INDOCTRINATION, AND THAT IS. SOMETHING THAT WE KNOW FOR SURE. AT THIS POINT. WE DO KNOW HE GOT CLOSER AND. CLOSER TO A RELIGIOUS ISLAMIC. EXTREMIST, AND HE GOT IN WITH. THEM AND HE WAS LEARNING MORE. AND MORE ABOUT ISLAMIC. EXTREMISTS, AND HE WAS GETTING. CLOSER TO THAT.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT HIM A LITTLE. BIT. THE REPORTING IS THAT HE IS. OMANI, THIS PILOT. OUR UNDERSTANDING IS ON A PLANE, WE ALL NEED TO BE REMINDED THAT. THESE KIND OF LIGHTS DIDN'T. HAPPEN UNTIL RECENTLY. THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS AND OTHER. AGREEMENTS HAVE OPEN FLYOVER. RIGHTS FOR ISRAELI CITIZENS FROM. PLACES IN THE MIDDLE EAST THAT--. AND THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN. BEFORE. ONE RULE, AS WE UNDERSTAND IT, IS THAT AN OMANI PILOT, SINCE. THERE IS NO DIPLOMATIC.

RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL, WOULD. NOT FLY A PLANE FROM THE UAE TO. ISRAEL. SO WHY WAS THIS OMANI PILOT IN. THAT SEAT IN THE FIRST PLACE? >> SO TRUE. AND ALSO THERE ARE A FEW. PROCESSES THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN. BEFORE HE IS BEING ON THIS. FLIGHT. FOR EXAMPLE, FROM WHAT I HEAR. FROM MY SOURCES, FLYDUBAI COULD. ONLY HAVE EMMA RATHI'S, OR. INDIAN PILOTS ON PLANES TAKING. PASSENGERS FROM DUBAI TO. TEL AVIV SO THE FIRST QUESTION.

IS WHY WAS HE EVEN ON THAT. FLIGHT? THEN FLYDUBAI SHOULD GIVE. ANSWERS TO THE PASSENGERS AND I. THINK THE PUBLIC, WHAT HAPPEN. THERE. >> Martha: WAS A LAST-MINUTE. SWAP IN? WAS HE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ON. THAT FLIGHT? ALL THESE THINGS WOULD GO TO. MOTIVE. >> EXACTLY. AND HE WAS NEW TO FLYING TO. DUBAI. HE WAS ONLY THERE FOR EIGHT. MONTHS. WITH ALL HIS WORK THERE. BUT THE INDIAN PILOT, THE HERO,

WAS WORKING THERE FOR A WHILE. NOW. FLYDUBAI SHOULD GIVE ANSWERS ON. THAT. BUT ALSO ISRAELI AUTHORITIES. THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO LOOK IN. TO THE PILOTS THAT ARE FLYING IN. TO ISRAEL. SO THEY ALSO NEED TO CHECK THAT. >> Martha: FOR EXACTLY THIS. REASON. EXACTLY THIS REASON. BECAUSE THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE. THAT THERE IS NOT A TERRORIST. FLYING A FLIGHT FOR LOVE ISRAELI. TERRORISTS BACK-- ISRAELI. TOURISTS BACK IN TO ISRAEL. HIS STORY IS TRULY. EXTRAORDINARY. HE IS JUST A HUMBLE HERO WHO.

REALLY CARED MORE ABOUT THE. LIVES OF OTHER PEOPLE THAN HIS. OWN LIFE, WHICH, IN MY MIND, IS. THE DEFINITION OF A TRUE HERO. LET US WATCH ANOTHER BIT OF WHAT. HE SAID WHEN HE WAS ON THE. PHONE, ON A FACETIME CALL, WITH. NARENDRA MODI, THE PRIME. MINISTER OF INDIA. WATCH. >> WHENEVER I AM IN PAIN, I KNOW. ONE THING, I KNOW THAT GOD SAVED. ME, HE CALLED ME, AND I FEEL. VERY PROUD. I WAS NOT PROUD UP UNTIL NOW, BUT NOW I AM PROUD.

>> Martha: JUST AMAZING. THIS GUY IS A HERO. HE WAS BEING STABBED MULTIPLE. TIMES. CAPTAIN SMIT WAS BEING STABBED. MULTIPLE TIMES BY HIS PARTNER, IN THE COCKPIT. HE WAS SEVERELY INJURED. AND WITH HIS VERY LAST MOMENTS, HE WAS SURE HE WAS GOING TO DIE, BUT HE SAID HE'S GOING TO SAVE. THE REST OF THE PASSENGERS.

AS HE EXPLAINED, HE SAID I HAD. TO GIVE A LAST PUSH. >> Martha: HE SAID HE WAS. TALKING TO HIMSELF. HE SAID SMIT, OPENED THE DOOR. -- OPEN THE DOOR. I JUST WANT TO ASK YOU, THIS IS. BY INVEST-- ISRAEL IT WANTS. INVESTIGATE IS ON THIS. WE HAD HEARD REPORTS THAT MAYBE. THERE WAS AN AX, THAT IS. SOMETIMES BEHIND GLASS IN A. COCKPIT, INSNSTEAD-- IF THEY NED. TO GET-- IF THEY GET STUCK IN. THERE AND THEY NEED TO GET OUT,

DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE WEAPON? >> ACCORDING TO THE PASSENGERS. ON THE FLIGHT, THEY SAW A KNIFE. WHICH WAS BEING USED DURING THIS. CRAZY INCIDENT. AND I ALSO THINK THAT IT ISS. WORTH MENTIONING THAT, AS YOU. SAID BEFORE, THESE FLIGHTS ARE. PRETTY NEW. ISRAELIS HAVE NEVER FLOWN TO. DUBAI UP UNTIL A FEW YEARS AGO. WHEN PRESIDENT TRUMP MANAGED. SUCCESSFULLY TO GET THIS AMAZING. PEACE DEAL DONE BETWEEN ISRAEL. AND THE EMIRATES AND OTHER. COUNTRIES.

AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS. SITUATION, THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. IT HAS TO BE HANDLED SO. DELICATELY, IN A WAY THAT ISRAEL. AND THE EMIRATES ARE GOING TO. INVESTIGATE, THEY NEED TO DO. THAT TOGETHER IN ORDER TO KEEP. THAT PEACE PROCESS, KEEP IT. OPEN. >> Martha: IT EXPLAINS. POTENTIALLY WHY THIS TERRORIST. PILOT WANTS THESE SORTS OF. FLIGHTS TO NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. BECAUSE POTENTIALLY THIS IS WHAT. THEY WILL INVESTIGATE, WHETHER. OR NOT HIS MOTIVE HAS TO DO WITH. ENDING THESE ACCORDS THAT HAVE.

ALLOWED THESE FLIGHTS ACROSS. COUNTRY. >> THIS IS A TERROR ATTACK. AGAINST THE PEACE PROCESS IN THE. MIDDLE EAST THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP. MANAGED TO ACHIEVE, AND THIS IS. INCREDIBLE. >> WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIND.