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Trump says Iran may be linked to FlyDubai copilot who tried to crash Israel-bound jet

Trump said investigators are still examining whether Tehran was involved as passengers and crew subdued the attacker and saved all 174 people aboard.

  • Saudi Arabian authorities transferred the Omani co-pilot accused of attacking Indian Captain Smit Machchhar to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. The suspect remains under investigation following Wednesday's incident aboard flight FZ1073, which safely landed in Tabuk.
  • The aircraft plunged more than 14,000 feet after the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar in the cockpit. Passengers and crew intervened to restrain the attacker using earphone cords, ensuring all 174 people on board survived the harrowing ordeal.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News the suspect underwent "Islamist radical indoctrination" and appeared suicidal. Colleagues previously described the pilot as a "religious extremist" who frequently displayed unusually strict religious behavior.
  • Asked if the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps placed the pilot aboard, United States President Donald Trump remarked "It could have been." UAE authorities continue investigating whether the attack involved terrorist activity or prior planning.
  • Recovering in the United Arab Emirates, Machchhar received a visit from UAE Deepak Mittal. With Israel and Oman lacking diplomatic relations, investigators are examining the pilot's background and potential accomplices as the inquiry remains in its initial stages.
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Lean Left

The U.S. apparently sent a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East, where Donald Trump talks about the dramatic incident on flight FZ1073 to Tel Aviv.

·Hamburg, Germany
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Right

US President Donald Trump expressed the suspicion that Iran might have been involved in the bloody incident aboard a Flydubai aircraft based on what he had heard. Trump threatened with "very harsh" consequences if his guess turned out to be correct.

·Vienna, Austria
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Left

When questioned by a journalist, the U.S. president said he suspected Iran in the Flydubai flight case and threatened to hit the country "very hard".

·Paris, France
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Lean Left

US President Donald Trump said that if Iran is proven to be behind the attack on the Flydubai plane's captain, Tehran will suffer a "very heavy blow." Trump stated that he believes Iran is involved in the incident, but the investigation is not yet complete.

·Istanbul, Türkiye
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WPLG broke the news in Miami, United States on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
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