Trump Says Iran may be linked to Flydubai attack, warns Tehran could be ‘hit very hard’

The Omani co-pilot will be brought to the UAE for questioning in a joint operation involving Emirati, Saudi, and Israeli investigators.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that information he has received indicates Iran may have been connected to the Omani co-pilot accused of stabbing another pilot and attempting to crash a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, and warned of a forceful US response if Tehran’s involvement is established.

Asked by Fox News’ Peter Doocy whether Iran was linked to the act of terrorism, Trump said the investigation remained underway.

“I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes, but we’re working on it right now,” Trump responded.

When another reporter asked whether the United States would retaliate if Iran was found to have been involved, Trump said, “Oh they’ll be hit very hard. Don’t worry. You just ask them. They know what happened.”

The investigation is being transferred from Saudi Arabia to the UAE.

The Omani co-pilot will be brought to the UAE for questioning in a joint operation involving Emirati, Saudi and Israeli investigators.

Investigators from the three countries will examine the suspect’s background, communications and contacts before he boarded the aircraft. The inquiry is seeking to determine whether he acted as a “lone attacker” motivated by extremist ideology or was directed by outside actors.

“There is still no 100% certainty,” a senior official told Channel 12, “but as the investigation deepens, the assessment that Tehran was involved in the incident is growing stronger.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu separately told Fox News on Thursday that investigators had found evidence of radical Islamist views in the co-pilot’s background.

Netanyahu said that after passengers and crew members subdued and restrained the attacker, he was “calling out to the aircrew ‘kill me, kill me’, so it’s clear he was suicidal – that’s not a question”.

“And with all the passengers in there, and if you couple that with what I just told you about the Islamist tendencies, that radicalization that were found in his background, I think… that’ll give us a pretty good clue.”