U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that American authorities are investigating possible links between Iran and the co-pilot of a Flydubai flight involved in an incident in the cockpit, adding that preliminary information he had received suggested a possible connection.
Asked by reporters at the White House whether he had been informed of any links between the co-pilot and Tehran, Trump said authorities were “working on that now.” He added that, based on what he had been told, the answer was “yes,” but provided no further details.
Asked whether the United States would take military action against Iran if Tehran were found to have been involved in the incident, Trump said Iran would be “hit very hard,” adding that the Iranians knew what had happened.
Investigators are continuing to examine the co-pilot’s motives. He is suspected of assaulting the captain inside the cockpit, causing the aircraft to descend sharply before making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
The aircraft, operating as Flight FZ1073, was carrying 174 people, most of them Israelis, and was traveling from the United Arab Emirates to Israel when it made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport on Wednesday. The co-pilot was identified as an Omani national.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the captain managed to fend off the co-pilot long enough to open the cockpit door, allowing several passengers to intervene and restrain the alleged attacker. Two off-duty pilots who were also on board then took control of the aircraft and landed it safely in Tabuk.
Saudi authorities said two crew members were taken to hospital after sustaining injuries, without specifying their condition. The co-pilot remained in custody as of Thursday.
In a televised interview, Netanyahu claimed that Israel had concluded the co-pilot had undergone what he described as “extremist Islamist indoctrination,” based on personal information gathered during the investigation. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also described the incident as a “jihadist terrorist attack.”
However, media reports indicated that the investigation’s working theory had not changed despite Trump’s remarks, with investigators continuing to consider the possibility that the co-pilot acted alone.
Flydubai said members of the flight crew had helped secure the aircraft and bring the situation under control, but did not disclose further details about their identities or specific roles.
