Laura Loomer contrasts mentality of pro-life Smit Machchar vs Omani 'jihadist' pilot
US conservative activist Laura Loomer has described Indian flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar as a “hero” and drawn a sharp religious contrast between him and his Omani co-pilot, whom she accused of trying to kill passengers on the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight.
In an exclusive interview with India Today, Loomer said the incident showed what she called the importance of the Israel-India-US alliance, pointing to the Indian pilot’s efforts to save passengers after he was attacked inside the cockpit.
“What’s incredible about this story is it just goes to show you the importance of the Israel-India-US alliance,” Loomer said.
She said the response to Smit from Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and people in both countries demonstrated the ties between the three nations.
But Loomer then turned to what she called the “elephant in the room” — the religious identities of the two pilots.
“We also have to address the elephant in the room,” she said. According to Loomer, the Indian Hindu pilot “rushed to save the lives of the passengers on board, most of whom were Israeli Jews”, even while he was injured and bleeding inside the cockpit.
She contrasted this with the Omani co-pilot, whom she repeatedly described as a “jihadi”, and said the episode represented, in her view, a clash between what she characterised as Hinduism’s peaceful ideology and what she described as the “violent ideology of Islam”.
“It just goes to show you the pro-life mentality of Israelis and Hindu Indians,” Loomer said.
She went on to describe Islam as a “death cult”, a characterisation that reflects Loomer’s own views and was not established as a finding of the investigation into the flight.LOOMER QUESTIONS HOW OMANI PILOT WAS ALLOWED TO ISRAEL ROUTE
Loomer also questioned how the Omani pilot came to be employed by the Emirati airline and allowed to operate a route between the UAE and Israel.
“I have a lot of questions about how the Emiratis and Emirati airline hired an Omani jihadist pilot,” she told India Today. She claimed the pilot was not technically permitted to fly the route because Oman does not recognise Israel or maintain diplomatic relations with it.
Loomer linked her claim to aviation arrangements associated with the Abraham Accords, arguing that pilots operating the UAE-Israel route should meet certain nationality and diplomatic-recognition requirements.
That claim should be treated as an allegation by Loomer while authorities continue investigating the circumstances surrounding the pilot, his employment and the attack.
The incident occurred aboard a Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Smit was attacked inside the cockpit before the aircraft diverted and landed in Saudi Arabia. Passengers and crew members subsequently intervened and restrained the co-pilot.
The motive behind the attack remains a key part of the investigation.'25 YEARS LATER, WE ARE STILL WATCHING MUSLIMS HIJACK AIRPLANES '
Loomer also linked the Flydubai incident to the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. “9/11 was not an isolated incident,” she said.
She argued that the threat of Islamist terrorism had not disappeared and warned that attacks would continue if governments failed to identify and confront extremist violence.
“Twenty-five years later, we're still watching Muslims hijack airplanes to kill innocent people,” Loomer said.
She said Americans should not view terrorism as a problem limited to another country.
Loomer also brought India and Israel into her argument, saying the three countries faced different forms of terrorism and shared what she described as a commitment to democratic values and security.
“If anybody understands how to deal with the threat of Islam and Islamic terror, it's President Trump, it's Modi, and Netanyahu,” she said.
She cited India's confrontation with Pakistan, Israel's conflict with Islamist militant groups and the United States' experience with terrorist attacks.
Her comments about Muslims and Islam were Loomer's own political characterisations and should not be read as established findings about the Flydubai incident or its alleged attacker.advertisementLOOMER WANTS TRUMP, MODI AND NETANYAHU TO HONOUR SMITAsked whether Trump should honour Smit after calling him a “brave hero”, Loomer said the US President should do so.
She proposed inviting Smit and others who helped restrain the co-pilot to the upcoming G20 summit in Miami.
“It'd be really great at the G20 summit in Miami, which is coming up soon, if these heroes who were involved in restraining this jihadi pilot could all be invited to the G20 summit,” she said.
Loomer specifically mentioned the Indian pilot, an Israeli plumber and an Israeli dentist who she said helped in the effort to restrain the attacker.
She then suggested a joint ceremony involving Trump, Modi and Netanyahu.
“You could have a ceremony with Modi and Netanyahu and Trump. I think people would love it,” Loomer said.'I WANT TO GO BACK TO INDIA'
Loomer, who visited India in March, also said she hoped to return to the country soon.
She said she had an “amazing time” during her visit and expressed interest in speaking at a future India Today conference.
Rohit Sharma is an award-winning journalist residing in Washington DC. His expertise and insightful pieces are regularly showcased on esteemed news channels and news websites.
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