A hero pilot who saved a flight full of passengers when his 'terrorist' co-pilot attacked him and tried to crash the plane has shown off his sickening head scars.
Captain Smit Machchhar was severely wounded when Hamam al-Hammami, 29, allegedly hit him on the head with a crash axe and tried to take control of a Flydubai plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30.
Mr Machchhar suffered a compound depressed skull fracture but, despite his serious injury, he was able to open the cockpit door - allowing passengers and fellow crew members inside.
They were then said to have grappled with al-Hammami to regain control of the aircraft, which plummeted 14,000ft in just 29 seconds, and successfully prevented what many believe could have been an Israeli 9/11.
For his brave actions, Indian national Mr Machchhar has been awarded the United Arab Emirates' First Class Order of Zayed II by the country's president Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
During the ceremony, Mr Machchhar's grisly head injuries from his altercation on the flight were on full display with the stitches stapled across his skull from his surgery in Saudi Arabia clearly visible.
Mr Machchhar's fellow crew members also received the bravery medal and were commended for their actions and sense of responsibility.
Captain Smit Machchhar's head injuries visibly as he is awarded the United Arab Emirates' medal for bravery
Mr Machchhar with the UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. His fellow crew members also received the bravery medal and were commended for their actions and sense of responsibility
Since the terror attack was foiled, more details about the Omani national al-Hammami have been revealed after he gave a 'detailed confession' following his arrest, the UAE's Attorney-General Hamad Saif al Shamsi said in a statement.
Mr al Shamsi said that during al-Hammami's time living in Melbourne, Australia, he became acquainted with individuals linked to an Islamic centre.
'The findings indicated that signs of his drift towards extremism and terrorism first emerged in 2017, while he was studying in Australia,' Mr al Shamsi said.
'During that period, he was influenced by Takfiri ideology through reading extremist literature and following online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks.
'This influence subsequently developed into the adoption of ideas advocating violence and terrorism.
'He also drew inspiration from the 11 September 2001 attacks, and the idea of carrying out a similar operation using an aircraft became firmly established in his thinking.'
Takfir is the act of one Muslim declaring another a non-believer, an extremist doctrine sometimes used as a justification for violence.
Al-Hammami is believed to have been a 'lone wolf' extremist.
The plane's captain, Mr Machchhar, pictured in hospital after the attempted hijacking
Pictured: Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, 29, who is said to have hit Mr Machchhar on the head with a crash axe and tried to take control of a Flydubai plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30
He had allegedly planned to crash Flydubai flight 1073 into a terminal at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport.
Speaking immediately after the tragedy was averted, Benjamin Netanyahu's government said they would have been prepared to shoot down the plane to prevent an 'Israeli 9/11'.
Protocol demands rogue flights approaching Israel are shot out of the sky but only the prime minister could have made such a decision.
However, thanks to Mr Machchhar's actions, the plane did not reach its target and was able to safely land in Tabuk in Saudi Arabia where the captain was rushed to hospital and al-Hammami was detained.
As well as his medal, Mr Machchhar also received praise from Prime Minister Netanyahu who called him a 'true hero' and the Crown Prince of Dubai Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum who met him in hospital and praised his courage.
