US President Donald Trump has warned that Iran would be “hit very hard” if investigators establish that Tehran was linked to an alleged attack aboard a flydubai flight bound for Israel.
Trump made the remarks on Thursday as authorities in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Israel continued investigating the incident, in which the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain and the aircraft plunged sharply before passengers and other crew members helped regain control.
Trump said there were indications of a possible Iranian connection but stressed that the matter was still being investigated.
“I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes but we’re working on it right now,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked whether Iran was involved in the incident aboard the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Asked whether the United States would retaliate against Iran if it was found responsible, Trump said: “Oh, they’ll be hit very hard, don’t worry.”
No evidence establishing an Iranian link had been made public as of Thursday, while investigations into the co-pilot’s motive and possible connections remained ongoing.
The incident occurred on September 30 aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after the alleged cockpit attack.
Saudi authorities said their preliminary investigation found that the co-pilot had assaulted the captain, causing injuries to both pilots. The pilots were subsequently transferred to the United Arab Emirates with an Emirati security team.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”, although investigators had yet to establish the full motive or whether the incident was linked to terrorism.
The UAE has opened an investigation to determine whether the incident involved “terrorist activity or intent”.
Netanyahu identified the co-pilot as an Omani national and said Israel would examine how he had been cleared to operate flights to the country.
The captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, was praised for helping prevent a catastrophe after he was allegedly attacked in the cockpit. Despite being injured, he was able to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers to intervene and subdue the co-pilot.
Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon said the aircraft was “pretty much out of control” as the incident unfolded over Jordan.
“The co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane,” she told reporters.
“It was really on the way to crashing, and it was simply the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the co-pilot and neutralised him.”
Flydubai said another “on-duty flydubai crew traveling on the flight… landed the aircraft safely” and subsequently suspended its flights to Israel while investigations continued.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he would honour five Israeli passengers who helped overpower the co-pilot and prevent the aircraft from crashing.
Trump’s warning came amid a broader US military buildup in the Middle East. Axios reported that Washington had deployed additional Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to help protect key energy facilities against possible Iranian retaliation.
The US news outlet also reported that the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and its strike group were heading towards the Middle East, where they could join two other US carrier strike groups already in the region.
The investigation into the flydubai incident remains ongoing, with authorities yet to establish whether the alleged attack was motivated by terrorism, whether the co-pilot acted alone or whether any external actor was involved.
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