Trump says Iran behind failed Flydubai hijack attempt, threatens to hit Tehran ‘very hard’

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump has thrown Iran into the spotlight over the failed hijacking of an Israel-bound Flydubai flight, raising questions about whether Tehran could be linked to the incident.

The incident took place on Wednesday, September 30, when a FlyDubai co-pilot, identified as an Omani national, attacked his colleague on flight FZ1073 and attempted to crash the passenger aircraft on its approach to Tel Aviv from Dubai.

The Indian pilot, Smit Machchhar, who suffered a stabbing wound, managed to save the lives of 174 passengers on board as he unlocked the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower and restrain the co-pilot, before off-duty pilots took control and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Trump threatens to hit Iran ‘very hard’ over alleged FlyDubai hijacking link

The 80-year-old President was leaving the White House for a pre-midterm campaign swing through Texas and Oklahoma on Thursday, October 2, when a reporter asked him whether he had been briefed about any links between the pilot behind the attack and Tehran.

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

Trump did not explain why he suspects Iranian involvement, but suggested the unidentified Omani co-pilot “could’ve been” an agent of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Asked if the US would retaliate against Tehran if it was behind the attack, 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.”

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that it is “too early to say” whether Iran was involved in the attack.

“First, we know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination,” Netanyahu told “Fox & Friends” Thursday morning, adding that the co-pilot demanded the passengers and flight crew “kill me” after they subdued him.

Israel joins investigation into FlyDubai co-pilot

Israeli intelligence and security officials have reached Saudi Arabia to help investigate the co-pilot, according to one regional official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Israel has requested that the co-pilot be sent to Israel for the investigation, though it was unclear if that request would be granted, the official said.

Another regional official briefed on the investigation said the suspect 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 were also involved. Saudi Arabia said the co-pilot had been handed over to the UAE.

Netanyahu told Fox that the suspect apparently got through a loophole in Israeli aviation rules that normally bar pilots from flying to Israel if they are from countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, which Oman does not.

He had warned in recent days of heightened security threats, although he told CNN that Israel had received no specific warning.

The country is now less than a week away from the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack, which triggered the war in Gaza, and is also only weeks away from an election.