Donald Trump has suggested that Iran may have been involved in the incident aboard FlyDubai flight FZ1073, where a co-pilot allegedly stabbed the pilot and attempted to crash the plane. When asked whether he had been briefed about any links between the attacker and Tehran, Trump told reporters at the White House: "We're working on it right now."
According to The Mirror, he added: "I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is yes, but we're working on it right now." The president did not offer any further details.
Retaliation warning
When asked if the US plans to retaliate against Iran should the Middle Eastern country be behind the FlyDubai incident, Trump said: "Oh they'll be hit very hard, don't worry."
"You just ask them," he added. "They know what happened. They'll be hit very hard," Trump told reporters.
Attack details
Flight FZ1073 was carrying 174 people, mostly Israelis, as it travelled from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The attacker, who Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says is an Omani national, then stabbed captain Smit Machchhar, causing the plane to quickly lose altitude.
The co-pilot was tackled by passengers, with one of them, Yaniv Hayoun, telling Netanyahu that he pulled the controls of the plane to level it, as he had seen on aviation show Air Crash Investigations. The Boeing 737 Max was then landed by two pilots who were on the plane in Saudi Arabia, as the attacker was restricted by passengers.
Investigation and response
Captain Machchhar is currently in stable condition in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates. Passengers on the flight described how the bloodied Indian captain managed to open the cockpit door to let them in before they grappled with the co-pilot and stabilised a descent so sharp that the plane's rudder was torn away.
Asaj Rajuan, who claims he was among those who intervened, said: "We felt helpless, suspended in mid-air, and I didn't know who to turn to. But it was all instinct to survive."
A regional official briefed on the investigation said the suspect, an Omani citizen, was under arrest and confirmed that Saudi authorities were working with countries, including Israel, to try to determine a motive. He said the UAE, the United States and Oman also were involved.
The official said: "All possible scenarios, from terrorism to mental disorders, are being looked into. Nothing is ruled out for now."
The UAE government said its own investigation team had begun looking into the attack and "whether it was linked to any terrorist purpose," noting that Emirati authorities have jurisdiction because the plane is registered there and UAE law applies to crimes committed on board.
Asked if there is any indication of Iranian involvement, Netanyahu told Fox News "it's too early to say." Netanyahu earlier said he also spoke with the UAE's president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who agreed that Israel would join the interrogation of the suspect.
Oman's government has not commented. FlyDubai has said its flights to and from Israel would be suspended for six days, with the possibility for this to be extended. Netanyahu told CBS that Israel plans to fly home anyone stranded in Dubai as a result.
In the chaos that began about two and a half hours after take-off, the flight descended from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet in about a minute, before making an erratic circle close to the Jordanian border and landing in Tabuk.
