US President Donald Trump has indicated that Iran could potentially be linked to the mid-air incident involving a flydubai flight headed from Dubai to Tel Aviv, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was too early to establish any such connection.
Trump was questioned by a reporter a day after the incident about whether he had been briefed on a possible connection between the flydubai co-pilot involved in the incident and Iran. Trump said his administration was currently examining the matter.
"We're working on that right now. We'll be very open with it. Uh, I would say the answer based on what I'm hearing is yes, but we're working on it right now," Trump said.
When asked whether the co-pilot could have been put on the aircraft by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), or whether he may have been radicalised through another channel before attempting to bring down the plane, Trump replied, "Could have been, yeah".
Israeli Prime Minister Takes A Cautious Approach
Netanyahu, however, struck a more cautious note when questioned about the possible Iranian connection during an interview with Fox News on Thursday. The Israeli prime minister said there was currently insufficient information to establish whether the co-pilot had links to Iran or any other organisation.
"I think it's too early to say whether he had any connections with Iran or with anyone else," he said. Speaking to "Fox & Friends", Netanyahu said investigators could have greater clarity within a few days about whether such connections existed.
At the same time, Netanyahu said the co-pilot had been subjected to Islamist radicalisation. "We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination," he said. He indicated that investigators were drawing this conclusion from information found in the man's personal records. "That appears to be something we're gathering from his personal information," he said.
The incident occurred on Wednesday aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The situation escalated after the co-pilot attempted to interfere with the aircraft's controls, prompting passengers and the captain to intervene and restrain him.
The aircraft was ultimately diverted and landed in Saudi Arabia with the help of reserve crew members who were travelling on board.
Several passengers, including a plumber, intervened to prevent the co-pilot from interfering with the plane's instruments. Passengers and officials have also said that the pilot, Capt. Smit Machchhar was "stabbed". Investigators have yet to disclose details about the weapon used, although Netanyahu said the pilot was stabbed or struck with an axe.
