Trump Says "Yes" to Possible Iranian Involvement in Flydubai Incident

Trump Does Not Rule Out Possible IRGC Links
Ongoing Investigation..."Will Strike Hard If Confirmed"
Israel Condemns Attempted 'Jihadist Terror Attack'

U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that Iran may be behind the attempted crash of a Flydubai passenger aircraft, warning that if this is confirmed as fact, there will be "strong retaliation."

On the 30th of last month (local time), at the Dubai International Airport apron in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), an aircraft belonging to Flydubai airline is parked while another aircraft is taking off. Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to foreign media reports including the Associated Press and CBS, on October 1 (local time) at the White House, President Trump was asked about a possible connection between the co-pilot who carried out the attack and Iran. He responded, "Based on what I am hearing, the answer is 'yes'." However, he added that the investigation is ongoing and did not disclose any concrete details.

President Trump also conceded that the co-pilot may have been deployed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or radicalized in some other way, saying "that could be the case." When asked whether he would retaliate if Iran is found to be behind the attack, he replied, "They will be hit very strongly. Don't worry."

Previously, it was reported that on the 30th of the previous month, on Flydubai flight FZ1073, a low-cost carrier flight from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to Tel Aviv, Israel, with 174 passengers on board, the co-pilot, said to be of Omani nationality, stabbed the Indian captain multiple times with a weapon and attempted to crash the plane. However, a major tragedy was averted as passengers subdued the co-pilot. In a video released by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, one passenger testified that the subdued co-pilot shouted in English, "Kill me," interpreting it as meaning that he would rather die than fail his mission.

Israel has classified this incident as an attempted terrorist attack by a jihadist (Islamic extremist) aimed at Israelis, the UAE, and the "Abraham Accords." At a briefing held the previous day, the Embassy of Israel in Korea stated, "It is no coincidence that a route with many Israeli passengers was targeted," arguing that the intention was to disrupt the peace order in the Middle East and undermine practical, moderate states in the region. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also told Fox News, "We know that the co-pilot was indoctrinated with radical Islamist ideology," adding that an investigation is ongoing.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) pointed out that President Trump's comments on retaliation against Iran came at a time when his overall tone regarding the stalemate in relations with Iran has grown notably more hardline.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.