Trump threatens to hit Iran 'very hard' if Tehran found to be behind FlyDubai incident
U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that if Iran is linked to the copilot who tried to crash an Israel-bound flight, the Islamic Republic would be struck "very hard" for the attempt on the lives of more than 180 people aboard the jet.
Investigators still working to determine cause after co-pilot stabbed captain
The Associated Press
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U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that if Iran is linked to the co-pilot who tried to crash an Israel-bound flight, the Islamic Republic would be hit "very hard" over the attempt on the lives of more than 180 people aboard the jet.
Trump issued the warning as investigators worked to determine why the co-pilot stabbed the flight's captain, causing the FlyDubai plane to plummet before others on board stopped the attack and landed the airliner in Saudi Arabia.
The president was asked by reporters at the White House whether he had been briefed about any links between the co-pilot behind the attack and Tehran.
"We're working on it right now," Trump said. "I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is yes, but we're working on it right now."
Trump did not elaborate about why he suspects Iran might be involved.
WATCH | India celebrates pilot who averted disaster:
India celebrates pilot who averted disaster on FlyDubai plane
3 hours ago|
Duration
1:51
Pilot Smit Machar is credited with saving the lives of 174 passengers on board FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Machar was stabbed by his co-pilot during the flight, but managed to open the locked cockpit and send emergency messages. The United Arab Emirates say they are launching an investigation into the incident.Asked if the U.S. 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 said. "They know what happened. They'll be hit very hard."
Stalled diplomacy
His remarks came as diplomatic efforts to end the war appear to have stalled.
Iranian officials indicated Wednesday that they had received an official U.S. response to Tehran's latest proposal to end the seven-month war, which Trump had publicly rejected just days earlier. The officials did not say what the response contained and whether it was a rejection.
Trump said in a Time magazine interview published Thursday that he would not accept proposals from Iran that "he wouldn't have approved a year ago," and left open the possibility of resuming bombing after the Nov. 3 U.S. election.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military has dispatched roughly 9,000 troops aboard a group of ships to the Middle East, a U.S. official said Thursday. That could mean three aircraft carriers will be in the region as soon as late October, according to the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.
Despite Trump's public rebuff, mediators have continued working with Iran and the U.S. to try to broker a deal to end the fighting and open the Strait of Hormuz, according to officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
'Instinct to survive'
Passengers on the plane — which was carrying 182 people, mostly Israelis, from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv — have described how the bloodied Indian captain managed to open the cockpit door to let them in before they grappled with the co-pilot and stabilized a descent so sharp that the plane's rudder was torn away.
"We felt helpless, suspended in midair, and I didn't know who to turn to. But it was all instinct to survive," Asaf Rajuan, who was among those who intervened, said in a statement shared by Israel's presidency.
A regional official briefed on the investigation said the suspect, an Omani citizen, was under arrest and confirmed that Saudi authorities were working with several countries, including Israel, to determine a motive. He said the UAE, the United States and Oman also were involved. Saudi Arabia said the co-pilot had been handed over to the UAE.
WATCH | How the FlyDubai incident unfolded:
How the mid-air struggle aboard a FlyDubai flight unfolded | Hanomansing Live
September 30|
Duration
11:21
Passengers and crew aboard a FlyDubai flight regained control after a co-pilot attacked the pilot and sent the plane plunging nearly 4,200 metres in less than 30 seconds, Israeli officials say. Aviation analyst Mark Miller discusses what the reported damage to the aircraft suggests about the violence onboard."All possible scenarios, from terrorism to mental disorders, are being looked into. Nothing is ruled out for now," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, without giving details, claimed the attacker underwent Islamist indoctrination. Asked who helped radicalize him, the prime minister told Fox News channel's "Fox and Friends" he did not know.
Asked by The Associated Press how the prime minister knew the co-pilot underwent indoctrination, Netanyahu's office said it would not comment.
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.
The co-pilot has not been publicly identified. Video shot inside the plane by Dr. Shota Musayev, a dentist who treated the captain, shows the co-pilot on his knees, with his hands tied behind his back.
Capt. Smit Machchhar, widely praised as one of the heroes of the flight, was recovering in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi, the Indian government said Thursday.
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