Trump Raises Possible Iran Link to FlyDubai Attack

President Donald Trump said Thursday that information he was receiving pointed to a possible Iranian connection to the attack aboard a FlyDubai flight bound for Israel, but he stressed that the matter remained under investigation. The supplied accounts do not establish that Iran was involved, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was too early to draw a conclusion. Asked at the White House whether Iran was linked to the suspect, Trump said, “I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes, but we’re working on it right now.” He offered no supporting details. Trump also warned that Iran would be “hit very hard” if it was found to be behind the incident. His remarks were an assessment and warning, not a finding by investigators. The incident involved a FlyDubai flight carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The copilot, identified by officials as an Omani national, was accused of stabbing the captain, Smit Machchhar, during the flight. Accounts say passengers intervened and the plane was landed in Saudi Arabia by pilots who were aboard as passengers. The captain was reported to be recovering in the United Arab Emirates.